An Improved Hierarchical Genetic Algorithm for Sheet Cutting Scheduling with Process Constraints

OpenAIRE

Yunqing Rao; Dezhong Qi; Jinling Li

2013-01-01

For the first time, an improved hierarchical genetic algorithm for sheet cutting problem which involves n cutting patterns for m non-identical parallel machines with process constraints has been proposed in the integrated cutting stock model. The objective of the cutting scheduling problem is minimizing the weighted completed time. A mathematical model for this problem is presented, an improved hierarchical genetic algorithm (ant colony—hierarchical genetic algorithm) is developed for better ...

Galactic chemical evolution in hierarchical formation models - I. Early-type galaxies in the local Universe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arrigoni, Matías; Trager, Scott C.; Somerville, Rachel S.; Gibson, Brad K.

We study the metallicities and abundance ratios of early-type galaxies in cosmological semi-analytic models (SAMs) within the hierarchical galaxy formation paradigm. To achieve this we implemented a detailed galactic chemical evolution model and can now predict abundances of individual elements for

Galactic chemical evolution in hierarchical formation models : I. Early-type galaxies in the local Universe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arrigoni, Matias; Trager, Scott C.; Somerville, Rachel S.; Gibson, Brad K.

2010-01-01

We study the metallicities and abundance ratios of early-type galaxies in cosmological semi-analytic models (SAMs) within the hierarchical galaxy formation paradigm. To achieve this we implemented a detailed galactic chemical evolution model and can now predict abundances of individual elements for

Leading processes of patient care and treatment in hierarchical healthcare organizations in Sweden--process managers' experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Kerstin; Sandoff, Mette

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to gain better understanding of the roles and functions of process managers by describing Swedish process managers' experiences of leading processes involving patient care and treatment when working in a hierarchical health-care organization. This study is based on an explorative design. The data were gathered from interviews with 12 process managers at three Swedish hospitals. These data underwent qualitative and interpretative analysis with a modified editing style. The process managers' experiences of leading processes in a hierarchical health-care organization are described under three themes: having or not having a mandate, exposure to conflict situations and leading process development. The results indicate a need for clarity regarding process manager's responsibility and work content, which need to be communicated to all managers and staff involved in the patient care and treatment process, irrespective of department. There also needs to be an emphasis on realistic expectations and orientation of the goals that are an intrinsic part of the task of being a process manager. Generalizations from the results of the qualitative interview studies are limited, but a deeper understanding of the phenomenon was reached, which, in turn, can be transferred to similar settings. This study contributes qualitative descriptions of leading care and treatment processes in a functional, hierarchical health-care organization from process managers' experiences, a subject that has not been investigated earlier.

Nanomaterial processing using self-assembly-bottom-up chemical and biological approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiruvengadathan, Rajagopalan; Gangopadhyay, Keshab; Gangopadhyay, Shubhra; Korampally, Venumadhav; Ghosh, Arkasubhra; Chanda, Nripen

2013-01-01

Nanotechnology is touted as the next logical sequence in technological evolution. This has led to a substantial surge in research activities pertaining to the development and fundamental understanding of processes and assembly at the nanoscale. Both top-down and bottom-up fabrication approaches may be used to realize a range of well-defined nanostructured materials with desirable physical and chemical attributes. Among these, the bottom-up self-assembly process offers the most realistic solution toward the fabrication of next-generation functional materials and devices. Here, we present a comprehensive review on the physical basis behind self-assembly and the processes reported in recent years to direct the assembly of nanoscale functional blocks into hierarchically ordered structures. This paper emphasizes assembly in the synthetic domain as well in the biological domain, underscoring the importance of biomimetic approaches toward novel materials. In particular, two important classes of directed self-assembly, namely, (i) self-assembly among nanoparticle–polymer systems and (ii) external field-guided assembly are highlighted. The spontaneous self-assembling behavior observed in nature that leads to complex, multifunctional, hierarchical structures within biological systems is also discussed in this review. Recent research undertaken to synthesize hierarchically assembled functional materials have underscored the need as well as the benefits harvested in synergistically combining top-down fabrication methods with bottom-up self-assembly. (review article)

Diagnostic Classifiers: Revealing how Neural Networks Process Hierarchical Structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veldhoen, S.; Hupkes, D.; Zuidema, W.

2016-01-01

We investigate how neural networks can be used for hierarchical, compositional semantics. To this end, we define the simple but nontrivial artificial task of processing nested arithmetic expressions and study whether different types of neural networks can learn to add and subtract. We find that

An Improved Hierarchical Genetic Algorithm for Sheet Cutting Scheduling with Process Constraints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunqing Rao

2013-01-01

Full Text Available For the first time, an improved hierarchical genetic algorithm for sheet cutting problem which involves n cutting patterns for m non-identical parallel machines with process constraints has been proposed in the integrated cutting stock model. The objective of the cutting scheduling problem is minimizing the weighted completed time. A mathematical model for this problem is presented, an improved hierarchical genetic algorithm (ant colony—hierarchical genetic algorithm is developed for better solution, and a hierarchical coding method is used based on the characteristics of the problem. Furthermore, to speed up convergence rates and resolve local convergence issues, a kind of adaptive crossover probability and mutation probability is used in this algorithm. The computational result and comparison prove that the presented approach is quite effective for the considered problem.

An improved hierarchical genetic algorithm for sheet cutting scheduling with process constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Yunqing; Qi, Dezhong; Li, Jinling

2013-01-01

For the first time, an improved hierarchical genetic algorithm for sheet cutting problem which involves n cutting patterns for m non-identical parallel machines with process constraints has been proposed in the integrated cutting stock model. The objective of the cutting scheduling problem is minimizing the weighted completed time. A mathematical model for this problem is presented, an improved hierarchical genetic algorithm (ant colony--hierarchical genetic algorithm) is developed for better solution, and a hierarchical coding method is used based on the characteristics of the problem. Furthermore, to speed up convergence rates and resolve local convergence issues, a kind of adaptive crossover probability and mutation probability is used in this algorithm. The computational result and comparison prove that the presented approach is quite effective for the considered problem.

Survival of contact processes on the hierarchical group

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Athreya, S.R.; Swart, Jan M.

2010-01-01

Roč. 147, č. 3 (2010), s. 529-563 ISSN 0178-8051 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA201/06/1323 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : contact process * survival * hierarchical group * coupling * renormalization group Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.590, year: 2010 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2010/SI/swart-0342729.pdf

Metastable states in the hierarchical Dyson model drive parallel processing in the hierarchical Hopfield network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agliari, Elena; Barra, Adriano; Guerra, Francesco; Galluzzi, Andrea; Tantari, Daniele; Tavani, Flavia

2015-01-01

In this paper, we introduce and investigate the statistical mechanics of hierarchical neural networks. First, we approach these systems à la Mattis, by thinking of the Dyson model as a single-pattern hierarchical neural network. We also discuss the stability of different retrievable states as predicted by the related self-consistencies obtained both from a mean-field bound and from a bound that bypasses the mean-field limitation. The latter is worked out by properly reabsorbing the magnetization fluctuations related to higher levels of the hierarchy into effective fields for the lower levels. Remarkably, mixing Amit's ansatz technique for selecting candidate-retrievable states with the interpolation procedure for solving for the free energy of these states, we prove that, due to gauge symmetry, the Dyson model accomplishes both serial and parallel processing. We extend this scenario to multiple stored patterns by implementing the Hebb prescription for learning within the couplings. This results in Hopfield-like networks constrained on a hierarchical topology, for which, by restricting to the low-storage regime where the number of patterns grows at its most logarithmical with the amount of neurons, we prove the existence of the thermodynamic limit for the free energy, and we give an explicit expression of its mean-field bound and of its related improved bound. We studied the resulting self-consistencies for the Mattis magnetizations, which act as order parameters, are studied and the stability of solutions is analyzed to get a picture of the overall retrieval capabilities of the system according to both mean-field and non-mean-field scenarios. Our main finding is that embedding the Hebbian rule on a hierarchical topology allows the network to accomplish both serial and parallel processing. By tuning the level of fast noise affecting it or triggering the decay of the interactions with the distance among neurons, the system may switch from sequential retrieval to

Hierarchic levels of a system classification of radiation-contaminated landscapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolyin, V.V.; Sushchik, Yu.Ya.; Bondarenko, G.M.; Shramenko, Yi.F.; Dudar, T.V.

2001-01-01

Five hierarchic levels of the systematic organization of natural landscapes are determined: substantial-phase, soil-profile, biogeocenotic, landscape, and geosystematic. Systems and subsystems of compounds of chemical elements and natural and man-caused factors that characterized properties and mechanisms of ecological self-organization of biogeocenoses are brought into accordance with each level. A scheme of hierarchic subordination of systems, subsystems, and processes is worked out. Leading links of transformation and migration of radionuclides that define the contamination of tropic chains are determined

Hierarchical Categorical Perception in Sensing and Cognitive Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruni, Luis Emilio

2008-01-01

This article considers categorical perception (CP) as a crucial process involved in all sort of communication throughout the biological hierarchy, i.e. in all of biosemiosis. Until now, there has been consideration of CP exclusively within the functional cycle of perception-cognition-action and i...... of categorical sensing and perception with the equally hierarchical issues of the "binding problem", "triadic causality", the "emergent interpretant" and the increasing semiotic freedom observed in biological and cognitive systems....

Broca’s area processes the hierarchical organization of observed action

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masumi eWakita

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Broca’s area has been suggested as the area responsible for the domain-general hierarchical processing of language and music. Although meaningful action shares a common hierarchical structure with language and music, the role of Broca’s area in this domain remains controversial. To address the involvement of Broca’s area in the processing action hierarchy, the activation of Broca’s area was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy. Measurements were taken while participants watched silent movies that featured hand movements playing familiar and unfamiliar melodies. The unfamiliar melodies were reversed versions of the familiar melodies. Additionally, to investigate the effect of a motor experience on the activation of Broca’s area, the participants were divided into well-trained and less-trained groups. The results showed that Broca’s area in the well-trained participants demonstrated a significantly larger activation in response to the hand motion when an unfamiliar melody was played than when a familiar melody was played. However, Broca’s area in the less-trained participants did not show a contrast between conditions despite identical abilities of the two participant groups to identify the melodies by watching key pressing actions. These results are consistent with previous findings that Broca’s area exhibits increased activation in response to grammatically violated sentences and musically deviated chord progressions as well as the finding that this region does not represent the processing of grammatical structure in less-proficient foreign language speakers. Thus, the current study suggests that Broca’s area represents action hierarchy and that sufficiently long motor training is necessary for it to become sensitive to motor syntax. Therefore, the notion that hierarchical processing in Broca’s area is a common function shared between language and music may help to explain the role of Broca’s area in action perception.

Ranking of Business Process Simulation Software Tools with DEX/QQ Hierarchical Decision Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Damij, Nadja; Boškoski, Pavle; Bohanec, Marko; Mileva Boshkoska, Biljana

2016-01-01

The omnipresent need for optimisation requires constant improvements of companies' business processes (BPs). Minimising the risk of inappropriate BP being implemented is usually performed by simulating the newly developed BP under various initial conditions and "what-if" scenarios. An effectual business process simulations software (BPSS) is a prerequisite for accurate analysis of an BP. Characterisation of an BPSS tool is a challenging task due to the complex selection criteria that includes quality of visual aspects, simulation capabilities, statistical facilities, quality reporting etc. Under such circumstances, making an optimal decision is challenging. Therefore, various decision support models are employed aiding the BPSS tool selection. The currently established decision support models are either proprietary or comprise only a limited subset of criteria, which affects their accuracy. Addressing this issue, this paper proposes a new hierarchical decision support model for ranking of BPSS based on their technical characteristics by employing DEX and qualitative to quantitative (QQ) methodology. Consequently, the decision expert feeds the required information in a systematic and user friendly manner. There are three significant contributions of the proposed approach. Firstly, the proposed hierarchical model is easily extendible for adding new criteria in the hierarchical structure. Secondly, a fully operational decision support system (DSS) tool that implements the proposed hierarchical model is presented. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed hierarchical model is assessed by comparing the resulting rankings of BPSS with respect to currently available results.

Active Interaction Mapping as a tool to elucidate hierarchical functions of biological processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Farré, Jean-Claude; Kramer, Michael; Ideker, Trey; Subramani, Suresh

2017-07-03

Increasingly, various 'omics data are contributing significantly to our understanding of novel biological processes, but it has not been possible to iteratively elucidate hierarchical functions in complex phenomena. We describe a general systems biology approach called Active Interaction Mapping (AI-MAP), which elucidates the hierarchy of functions for any biological process. Existing and new 'omics data sets can be iteratively added to create and improve hierarchical models which enhance our understanding of particular biological processes. The best datatypes to further improve an AI-MAP model are predicted computationally. We applied this approach to our understanding of general and selective autophagy, which are conserved in most eukaryotes, setting the stage for the broader application to other cellular processes of interest. In the particular application to autophagy-related processes, we uncovered and validated new autophagy and autophagy-related processes, expanded known autophagy processes with new components, integrated known non-autophagic processes with autophagy and predict other unexplored connections.

The influence of visual and phonological features on the hemispheric processing of hierarchical Navon letters.

Science.gov (United States)

Aiello, Marilena; Merola, Sheila; Lasaponara, Stefano; Pinto, Mario; Tomaiuolo, Francesco; Doricchi, Fabrizio

2018-01-31

The possibility of allocating attentional resources to the "global" shape or to the "local" details of pictorial stimuli helps visual processing. Investigations with hierarchical Navon letters, that are large "global" letters made up of small "local" ones, consistently demonstrate a right hemisphere advantage for global processing and a left hemisphere advantage for local processing. Here we investigated how the visual and phonological features of the global and local components of Navon letters influence these hemispheric advantages. In a first study in healthy participants, we contrasted the hemispheric processing of hierarchical letters with global and local items competing for response selection, to the processing of hierarchical letters in which a letter, a false-letter conveying no phonological information or a geometrical shape presented at the unattended level did not compete for response selection. In a second study, we investigated the hemispheric processing of hierarchical stimuli in which global and local letters were both visually and phonologically congruent (e.g. large uppercase G made of smaller uppercase G), visually incongruent and phonologically congruent (e.g. large uppercase G made of small lowercase g) or visually incongruent and phonologically incongruent (e.g. large uppercase G made of small lowercase or uppercase M). In a third study, we administered the same tasks to a right brain damaged patient with a lesion involving pre-striate areas engaged by global processing. The results of the first two experiments showed that the global abilities of the left hemisphere are limited because of its strong susceptibility to interference from local letters even when these are irrelevant to the task. Phonological features played a crucial role in this interference because the interference was entirely maintained also when letters at the global and local level were presented in different uppercase vs. lowercase formats. In contrast, when local features

Compiling software for a hierarchical distributed processing system

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Charles J; Blocksome, Michael A; Ratterman, Joseph D; Smith, Brian E

2013-12-31

Compiling software for a hierarchical distributed processing system including providing to one or more compiling nodes software to be compiled, wherein at least a portion of the software to be compiled is to be executed by one or more nodes; compiling, by the compiling node, the software; maintaining, by the compiling node, any compiled software to be executed on the compiling node; selecting, by the compiling node, one or more nodes in a next tier of the hierarchy of the distributed processing system in dependence upon whether any compiled software is for the selected node or the selected node's descendents; sending to the selected node only the compiled software to be executed by the selected node or selected node's descendent.

Morphology evolution of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures modulated by supersaturation and growth temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Youguo; Zhou, Lixia; Yu, Lianqing; Zhang, Ye

2008-07-01

Three kinds of ZnO hierarchical structures, nanocombs with tube- and needle-shaped teeth and hierarchical nanorod arrays, were successfully synthesized through the chemical vapor deposition method. Combining the experimental parameters, the microcosmic growing conditions (growth temperature and supersaturation) along the flux was discussed at length, and, based on the conclusions, three reasonable growth processes were proposed. The results and discussions were beneficial to further realize the relation between the growing behavior of the nanomaterial and microcosmic conditions, and the hierarchical nanostructures obtained were also expected to have potential applications as functional blocks in future nanodevices. Furthermore, the study of photoluminescence further indicated that the physical properties were strongly dependent on the crystal structure.

Hierarchical spatial point process analysis for a plant community with high biodiversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Illian, Janine B.; Møller, Jesper; Waagepetersen, Rasmus

2009-01-01

A complex multivariate spatial point pattern of a plant community with high biodiversity is modelled using a hierarchical multivariate point process model. In the model, interactions between plants with different post-fire regeneration strategies are of key interest. We consider initially a maxim...

Hierarchical ordering with partial pairwise hierarchical relationships on the macaque brain data sets.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woosang Lim

Full Text Available Hierarchical organizations of information processing in the brain networks have been known to exist and widely studied. To find proper hierarchical structures in the macaque brain, the traditional methods need the entire pairwise hierarchical relationships between cortical areas. In this paper, we present a new method that discovers hierarchical structures of macaque brain networks by using partial information of pairwise hierarchical relationships. Our method uses a graph-based manifold learning to exploit inherent relationship, and computes pseudo distances of hierarchical levels for every pair of cortical areas. Then, we compute hierarchy levels of all cortical areas by minimizing the sum of squared hierarchical distance errors with the hierarchical information of few cortical areas. We evaluate our method on the macaque brain data sets whose true hierarchical levels are known as the FV91 model. The experimental results show that hierarchy levels computed by our method are similar to the FV91 model, and its errors are much smaller than the errors of hierarchical clustering approaches.

Parallel-hierarchical processing and classification of laser beam profile images based on the GPU-oriented architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Yarovyi, Andrii A.; Timchenko, Leonid I.; Kozhemiako, Volodymyr P.; Kokriatskaia, Nataliya I.; Hamdi, Rami R.; Savchuk, Tamara O.; Kulyk, Oleksandr O.; Surtel, Wojciech; Amirgaliyev, Yedilkhan; Kashaganova, Gulzhan

2017-08-01

The paper deals with a problem of insufficient productivity of existing computer means for large image processing, which do not meet modern requirements posed by resource-intensive computing tasks of laser beam profiling. The research concentrated on one of the profiling problems, namely, real-time processing of spot images of the laser beam profile. Development of a theory of parallel-hierarchic transformation allowed to produce models for high-performance parallel-hierarchical processes, as well as algorithms and software for their implementation based on the GPU-oriented architecture using GPGPU technologies. The analyzed performance of suggested computerized tools for processing and classification of laser beam profile images allows to perform real-time processing of dynamic images of various sizes.

Intelligent process control of fiber chemical vapor deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, John Gregory

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is a widely used process for the application of thin films. In this case, CVD is being used to apply a thin film interface coating to single crystal monofilament sapphire (Alsb2Osb3) fibers for use in Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC's). The hot-wall reactor operates at near atmospheric pressure which is maintained using a venturi pump system. Inert gas seals obviate the need for a sealed system. A liquid precursor delivery system has been implemented to provide precise stoichiometry control. Neural networks have been implemented to create real-time process description models trained using data generated based on a Navier-Stokes finite difference model of the process. Automation of the process to include full computer control and data logging capability is also presented. In situ sensors including a quadrupole mass spectrometer, thermocouples, laser scanner, and Raman spectrometer have been implemented to determine the gas phase reactants and coating quality. A fuzzy logic controller has been developed to regulate either the gas phase or the in situ temperature of the reactor using oxygen flow rate as an actuator. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of various samples are shown. A hierarchical control structure upon which the control structure is based is also presented.

The Hierarchical Cortical Organization of Human Speech Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

de Heer, Wendy A; Huth, Alexander G; Griffiths, Thomas L; Gallant, Jack L; Theunissen, Frédéric E

2017-07-05

Speech comprehension requires that the brain extract semantic meaning from the spectral features represented at the cochlea. To investigate this process, we performed an fMRI experiment in which five men and two women passively listened to several hours of natural narrative speech. We then used voxelwise modeling to predict BOLD responses based on three different feature spaces that represent the spectral, articulatory, and semantic properties of speech. The amount of variance explained by each feature space was then assessed using a separate validation dataset. Because some responses might be explained equally well by more than one feature space, we used a variance partitioning analysis to determine the fraction of the variance that was uniquely explained by each feature space. Consistent with previous studies, we found that speech comprehension involves hierarchical representations starting in primary auditory areas and moving laterally on the temporal lobe: spectral features are found in the core of A1, mixtures of spectral and articulatory in STG, mixtures of articulatory and semantic in STS, and semantic in STS and beyond. Our data also show that both hemispheres are equally and actively involved in speech perception and interpretation. Further, responses as early in the auditory hierarchy as in STS are more correlated with semantic than spectral representations. These results illustrate the importance of using natural speech in neurolinguistic research. Our methodology also provides an efficient way to simultaneously test multiple specific hypotheses about the representations of speech without using block designs and segmented or synthetic speech. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To investigate the processing steps performed by the human brain to transform natural speech sound into meaningful language, we used models based on a hierarchical set of speech features to predict BOLD responses of individual voxels recorded in an fMRI experiment while subjects listened to

Chemical process hazards analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-02-01

The Office of Worker Health and Safety (EH-5) under the Assistant Secretary for the Environment, Safety and Health of the US Department (DOE) has published two handbooks for use by DOE contractors managing facilities and processes covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Rule for Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119), herein referred to as the PSM Rule. The PSM Rule contains an integrated set of chemical process safety management elements designed to prevent chemical releases that can lead to catastrophic fires, explosions, or toxic exposures. The purpose of the two handbooks, ``Process Safety Management for Highly Hazardous Chemicals`` and ``Chemical Process Hazards Analysis,`` is to facilitate implementation of the provisions of the PSM Rule within the DOE. The purpose of this handbook ``Chemical Process Hazards Analysis,`` is to facilitate, within the DOE, the performance of chemical process hazards analyses (PrHAs) as required under the PSM Rule. It provides basic information for the performance of PrHAs, and should not be considered a complete resource on PrHA methods. Likewise, to determine if a facility is covered by the PSM rule, the reader should refer to the handbook, ``Process Safety Management for Highly Hazardous Chemicals`` (DOE- HDBK-1101-96). Promulgation of the PSM Rule has heightened the awareness of chemical safety management issues within the DOE. This handbook is intended for use by DOE facilities and processes covered by the PSM rule to facilitate contractor implementation of the PrHA element of the PSM Rule. However, contractors whose facilities and processes not covered by the PSM Rule may also use this handbook as a basis for conducting process hazards analyses as part of their good management practices. This handbook explains the minimum requirements for PrHAs outlined in the PSM Rule. Nowhere have requirements been added beyond what is specifically required by the rule.

Hierarchically Nanostructured Materials for Sustainable Environmental Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng eRen

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This article presents a comprehensive overview of the hierarchical nanostructured materials with either geometry or composition complexity in environmental applications. The hierarchical nanostructures offer advantages of high surface area, synergistic interactions and multiple functionalities towards water remediation, environmental gas sensing and monitoring as well as catalytic gas treatment. Recent advances in synthetic strategies for various hierarchical morphologies such as hollow spheres and urchin-shaped architectures have been reviewed. In addition to the chemical synthesis, the physical mechanisms associated with the materials design and device fabrication have been discussed for each specific application. The development and application of hierarchical complex perovskite oxide nanostructures have also been introduced in photocatalytic water remediation, gas sensing and catalytic converter. Hierarchical nanostructures will open up many possibilities for materials design and device fabrication in environmental chemistry and technology.

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surface with Controlled Wetting Property by Hierarchical Particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jianxiong; Liu, Weiwei; Du, Jingjing; Tang, Zengmin; Xu, Lijian; Li, Na

2015-04-01

Hierarchical particles were prepared by synthetically joining appropriately functionalized polystyrene spheres of poly[styrene-co-(3-(4-vinylphenyl)pentane-2,4-dione)] (PS-co-PVPD) nanoparticles and poly(styrene-co-chloromethylstyrene) (PS-co-PCMS) microparticles. The coupling reaction of nucleophilic substitution of pendent β-diketone groups with benzyl chloride was used to form the hierarchical particles. Since the polymeric nanoparticles and microparticles were synthesized by dispersion polymerization and emulsion polymerization, respectively, both the core microparticles and the surface nanoparticles can be different size and chemical composition. By means of changing the size of the PS-co-PVPD surface nanoparticles, a series of hierarchical particles with different scale ratio of the micro/nano surface structure were successfully prepared. Moreover, by employing the PS-co-PVPD microparticles and PS-co-PCMS nanoparticles as building blocks, hierarchical particles with surface nanoaprticles of different composition were made. These as-prepared hierarchical particles were subsequently assembled on glass substrates to form particulate films. Contact angle measurement shows that superhydrophobic surfaces can be obtained and the contact angle of water on the hierarchically structured surface can be adjusted by the scale ratio of the micro/nano surface structure and surface chemical component of hierarchical particles.

Hierarchical carbon nanostructure design: ultra-long carbon nanofibers decorated with carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Mel, A A; Achour, A; Gautron, E; Angleraud, B; Granier, A; Le Brizoual, L; Djouadi, M A; Tessier, P Y; Xu, W; Choi, C H

2011-01-01

Hierarchical carbon nanostructures based on ultra-long carbon nanofibers (CNF) decorated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been prepared using plasma processes. The nickel/carbon composite nanofibers, used as a support for the growth of CNT, were deposited on nanopatterned silicon substrate by a hybrid plasma process, combining magnetron sputtering and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of spherical nanoparticles randomly dispersed within the carbon nanofibers. The nickel nanoparticles have been used as a catalyst to initiate the growth of CNT by PECVD at 600 deg. C. After the growth of CNT onto the ultra-long CNF, SEM imaging revealed the formation of hierarchical carbon nanostructures which consist of CNF sheathed with CNTs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that reducing the growth temperature of CNT to less than 500 deg. C leads to the formation of carbon nanowalls on the CNF instead of CNT. This simple fabrication method allows an easy preparation of hierarchical carbon nanostructures over a large surface area, as well as a simple manipulation of such material in order to integrate it into nanodevices.

Ultrasound in chemical processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baig, S.; Farooq, R.; Malik, A.H.

2009-01-01

The use of ultrasound to promote chemical reactions or sono chemistry is a field of chemistry which involves the process of acoustic cavitations i.e. the collapse of microscopic bubbles in liquid. There are two essential components for the application of sono chemistry, a liquid medium and a source of high-energy vibrations. The liquid medium is necessary because sono chemistry is driven by acoustic cavitations that can only occur in liquids. The source of the vibrational energy is the transducer. The chemical effects of ultrasound include the enhancement of reaction rates at ambient temperatures and striking advancements in stoichiometric and catalytic reactions In some cases, ultrasonic irradiation can increase reactivities by nearly million fold. The ultrasound has large number of applications not only in emending old chemical processes but also in developing new synthetic strategies. Ultrasound enhances all chemical and physical processes e.g., crystallization, vitamin synthesis, preparation of catalysts, dissolution of chemicals, organometallic reactions, electrochemical processes, etc. High-power ultrasonics is a new powerful technology that is not only safe and environmentally friendly in its application but is also efficient and economical. It can be applied to existing processes to eliminate the need for chemicals and/or heat application in a variety of industrial processes. (author)

Comparisons of Flow Patterns over a Hierarchical and a Non-hierarchical Surface in Relation to Biofouling Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Ahmad Fawzan Mohammed Ridha

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Biofouling can be defined as unwanted deposition and development of organisms on submerged surfaces. It is a major problem as it causes water contamination, infrastructures damage and increase in maintenance and operational cost especially in the shipping industry. There are a few methods that can prevent this problem. One of the most effective methods which is using chemicals particularly Tributyltin has been banned due to adverse effects on the environment. One of the non-toxic methods found to be effective is surface modification which involves altering the surface topography so that it becomes a low-fouling or a non-stick surface to biofouling organisms. Current literature suggested that non-hierarchical topographies has lower antifouling performance compared to hierarchical topographies. It is still unclear if the effects of the flow on these topographies could have aided in their antifouling properties. This research will use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD simulations to study the flow on these two topographies which also involves comparison study of the topographies used. According to the results obtained, it is shown that hierarchical topography has higher antifouling performance compared to non-hierarchical topography. This is because the fluid characteristics at the hierarchical topography is more favorable in controlling biofouling. In addition, hierarchical topography has higher wall shear stress distribution compared to non-hierarchical topography

Near-Infrared Trigged Stimulus-Responsive Photonic Crystals with Hierarchical Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Tao; Pan, Hui; Ma, Jun; Li, Yao; Zhu, Shenmin; Zhang, Di

2017-10-04

Stimuli-responsive photonic crystals (PCs) trigged by light would provide a novel intuitive and quantitative method for noninvasive detection. Inspired by the flame-detecting aptitude of fire beetles and the hierarchical photonic structures of butterfly wings, we herein developed near-infrared stimuli-responsive PCs through coupling photothermal Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles with thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), with hierarchical photonic structured butterfly wing scales as the template. The nanoparticles within 10 s transferred near-infrared radiation into heat that triggered the phase transition of PNIPAM; this almost immediately posed an anticipated effect on the PNIPAM refractive index and resulted in a composite spectrum change of ∼26 nm, leading to the direct visual readout. It is noteworthy that the whole process is durable and stable mainly owing to the chemical bonding formed between PNIPAM and the biotemplate. We envision that this biologically inspired approach could be utilized in a broad range of applications and would have a great impact on various monitoring processes and medical sensing.

Oscillatory Critical Amplitudes in Hierarchical Models and the Harris Function of Branching Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Costin, Ovidiu; Giacomin, Giambattista

2013-02-01

Oscillatory critical amplitudes have been repeatedly observed in hierarchical models and, in the cases that have been taken into consideration, these oscillations are so small to be hardly detectable. Hierarchical models are tightly related to iteration of maps and, in fact, very similar phenomena have been repeatedly reported in many fields of mathematics, like combinatorial evaluations and discrete branching processes. It is precisely in the context of branching processes with bounded off-spring that T. Harris, in 1948, first set forth the possibility that the logarithm of the moment generating function of the rescaled population size, in the super-critical regime, does not grow near infinity as a power, but it has an oscillatory prefactor (the Harris function). These oscillations have been observed numerically only much later and, while the origin is clearly tied to the discrete character of the iteration, the amplitude size is not so well understood. The purpose of this note is to reconsider the issue for hierarchical models and in what is arguably the most elementary setting—the pinning model—that actually just boils down to iteration of polynomial maps (and, notably, quadratic maps). In this note we show that the oscillatory critical amplitude for pinning models and the Harris function coincide. Moreover we make explicit the link between these oscillatory functions and the geometry of the Julia set of the map, making thus rigorous and quantitative some ideas set forth in Derrida et al. (Commun. Math. Phys. 94:115-132, 1984).

Tractography segmentation using a hierarchical Dirichlet processes mixture model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaogang; Grimson, W Eric L; Westin, Carl-Fredrik

2011-01-01

In this paper, we propose a new nonparametric Bayesian framework to cluster white matter fiber tracts into bundles using a hierarchical Dirichlet processes mixture (HDPM) model. The number of clusters is automatically learned driven by data with a Dirichlet process (DP) prior instead of being manually specified. After the models of bundles have been learned from training data without supervision, they can be used as priors to cluster/classify fibers of new subjects for comparison across subjects. When clustering fibers of new subjects, new clusters can be created for structures not observed in the training data. Our approach does not require computing pairwise distances between fibers and can cluster a huge set of fibers across multiple subjects. We present results on several data sets, the largest of which has more than 120,000 fibers. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Process/Equipment Co-Simulation on Syngas Chemical Looping Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Liang; Zhou, Qiang; Fan, Liang-Shih

2012-09-30

The chemical looping strategy for fossil energy applications promises to achieve an efficient energy conversion system for electricity, liquid fuels, hydrogen and/or chemicals generation, while economically separate CO{sub 2} by looping reaction design in the process. Chemical looping particle performance, looping reactor engineering, and process design and applications are the key drivers to the success of chemical looping process development. In order to better understand and further scale up the chemical looping process, issues such as cost, time, measurement, safety, and other uncertainties need to be examined. To address these uncertainties, advanced reaction/reactor modeling and process simulation are highly desired and the modeling efforts can accelerate the chemical looping technology development, reduce the pilot-scale facility design time and operating campaigns, as well as reduce the cost and technical risks. The purpose of this work is thus to conduct multiscale modeling and simulations on the key aspects of chemical looping technology, including particle reaction kinetics, reactor design and operation, and process synthesis and optimization.

Hierarchical surfaces for enhanced self-cleaning applications

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, Ariadna; Francone, Achille; Thamdrup, Lasse H.; Johansson, Alicia; Bilenberg, Brian; Nielsen, Theodor; Guttmann, Markus; Sotomayor Torres, Clivia M.; Kehagias, Nikolaos

2017-04-01

In this study we present a flexible and adaptable fabrication method to create complex hierarchical structures over inherently hydrophobic resist materials. We have tested these surfaces for their superhydrophobic behaviour and successfully verified their self-cleaning properties. The followed approach allow us to design and produce superhydrophobic surfaces in a reproducible manner. We have analysed different combination of hierarchical micro-nanostructures for their application to self-cleaning surfaces. A static contact angle value of 170° with a hysteresis of 4° was achieved without the need of any additional chemical treatment on the fabricated hierarchical structures. Dynamic effects were analysed on these surfaces, obtaining a remarkable self-cleaning effect as well as a good robustness over impacting droplets.

Fabrication and condensation characteristics of metallic superhydrophobic surface with hierarchical micro-nano structures

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Fuqiang; Wu, Xiaomin

2016-05-01

Metallic superhydrophobic surfaces have various applications in aerospace, refrigeration and other engineering fields due to their excellent water repellent characteristics. This study considers a simple but widely applicable fabrication method using a two simultaneous chemical reactions method to prepare the acid-salt mixed solutions to process the metal surfaces with surface deposition and surface etching to construct hierarchical micro-nano structures on the surface and then modify the surface with low surface-energy materials. Al-based and Cu-based superhydrophobic surfaces were fabricated using this method. The Al-based superhydrophobic surface had a water contact angle of 164° with hierarchical micro-nano structures similar to the lotus leaves. The Cu-based surface had a water contact angle of 157° with moss-like hierarchical micro-nano structures. Droplet condensation experiments were also performed on these two superhydrophobic surfaces to investigate their condensation characteristics. The results show that the Al-based superhydrophobic surface has lower droplet density, higher droplet jumping probability, slower droplet growth rate and lower surface coverage due to the more structured hierarchical structures.

Chemical and morphological gradient scaffolds to mimic hierarchically complex tissues: From theoretical modeling to their fabrication.

Science.gov (United States)

Marrella, Alessandra; Aiello, Maurizio; Quarto, Rodolfo; Scaglione, Silvia

2016-10-01

Porous multiphase scaffolds have been proposed in different tissue engineering applications because of their potential to artificially recreate the heterogeneous structure of hierarchically complex tissues. Recently, graded scaffolds have been also realized, offering a continuum at the interface among different phases for an enhanced structural stability of the scaffold. However, their internal architecture is often obtained empirically and the architectural parameters rarely predetermined. The aim of this work is to offer a theoretical model as tool for the design and fabrication of functional and structural complex graded scaffolds with predicted morphological and chemical features, to overcome the time-consuming trial and error experimental method. This developed mathematical model uses laws of motions, Stokes equations, and viscosity laws to describe the dependence between centrifugation speed and fiber/particles sedimentation velocity over time, which finally affects the fiber packing, and thus the total porosity of the 3D scaffolds. The efficacy of the theoretical model was tested by realizing engineered graded grafts for osteochondral tissue engineering applications. The procedure, based on combined centrifugation and freeze-drying technique, was applied on both polycaprolactone (PCL) and collagen-type-I (COL) to test the versatility of the entire process. A functional gradient was combined to the morphological one by adding hydroxyapatite (HA) powders, to mimic the bone mineral phase. Results show that 3D bioactive morphologically and chemically graded grafts can be properly designed and realized in agreement with the theoretical model. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2286-2297. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Processing of Causal and Hierarchical Relations in Semantic Memory as Revealed by N400 and Frontal Negativity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiuling Liang

Full Text Available Most current studies investigating semantic memory have focused on associative (ring-emerald or taxonomic relations (bird-sparrow. Little is known about the question of how causal relations (virus-epidemic are stored and accessed in semantic memory. The goal of this study was to examine the processing of causally related, general associatively related and hierarchically related word pairs when participants were required to evaluate whether pairs of words were related in any way. The ERP data showed that the N400 amplitude (200-500 ms elicited by unrelated related words was more negative than all related words. Furthermore, the late frontal distributed negativity (500-700 ms elicited by causally related words was smaller than hierarchically related words, but not for general associated words. These results suggested the processing of causal relations and hierarchical relations in semantic memory recruited different degrees of cognitive resources, especially for role binding.

Hierarchical mesoporous/microporous carbon with graphitized frameworks for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingying Lv

2014-11-01

Full Text Available A hierarchical meso-/micro-porous graphitized carbon with uniform mesopores and ordered micropores, graphitized frameworks, and extra-high surface area of ∼2200 m2/g, was successfully synthesized through a simple one-step chemical vapor deposition process. The commercial mesoporous zeolite Y was utilized as a meso-/ micro-porous template, and the small-molecule methane was employed as a carbon precursor. The as-prepared hierarchical meso-/micro-porous carbons have homogeneously distributed mesopores as a host for electrolyte, which facilitate Li+ ions transport to the large-area micropores, resulting a high reversible lithium ion storage of 1000 mA h/g and a high columbic efficiency of 65% at the first cycle.

Visual hierarchical processing and lateralization of cognitive functions through domestic chicks' eyes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cinzia Chiandetti

Full Text Available Hierarchical stimuli have proven effective for investigating principles of visual organization in humans. A large body of evidence suggests that the analysis of the global forms precedes the analysis of the local forms in our species. Studies on lateralization also indicate that analytic and holistic encoding strategies are separated between the two hemispheres of the brain. This raises the question of whether precedence effects may reflect the activation of lateralized functions within the brain. Non-human animals have perceptual organization and functional lateralization that are comparable to that of humans. Here we trained the domestic chick in a concurrent discrimination task involving hierarchical stimuli. Then, we evaluated the animals for analytic and holistic encoding strategies in a series of transformational tests by relying on a monocular occlusion technique. A local precedence emerged in both the left and the right hemisphere, adding further evidence in favour of analytic processing in non-human animals.

Hierarchical surfaces for enhanced self-cleaning applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernández, Ariadna; Francone, Achille; Sotomayor Torres, Clivia M; Kehagias, Nikolaos; Thamdrup, Lasse H; Johansson, Alicia; Bilenberg, Brian; Nielsen, Theodor; Guttmann, Markus

2017-01-01

In this study we present a flexible and adaptable fabrication method to create complex hierarchical structures over inherently hydrophobic resist materials. We have tested these surfaces for their superhydrophobic behaviour and successfully verified their self-cleaning properties. The followed approach allow us to design and produce superhydrophobic surfaces in a reproducible manner. We have analysed different combination of hierarchical micro-nanostructures for their application to self-cleaning surfaces. A static contact angle value of 170° with a hysteresis of 4° was achieved without the need of any additional chemical treatment on the fabricated hierarchical structures. Dynamic effects were analysed on these surfaces, obtaining a remarkable self-cleaning effect as well as a good robustness over impacting droplets. (paper)

How hierarchical is language use?

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Stefan L.; Bod, Rens; Christiansen, Morten H.

2012-01-01

It is generally assumed that hierarchical phrase structure plays a central role in human language. However, considerations of simplicity and evolutionary continuity suggest that hierarchical structure should not be invoked too hastily. Indeed, recent neurophysiological, behavioural and computational studies show that sequential sentence structure has considerable explanatory power and that hierarchical processing is often not involved. In this paper, we review evidence from the recent literature supporting the hypothesis that sequential structure may be fundamental to the comprehension, production and acquisition of human language. Moreover, we provide a preliminary sketch outlining a non-hierarchical model of language use and discuss its implications and testable predictions. If linguistic phenomena can be explained by sequential rather than hierarchical structure, this will have considerable impact in a wide range of fields, such as linguistics, ethology, cognitive neuroscience, psychology and computer science. PMID:22977157

Self-cleaning poly(dimethylsiloxane) film with functional micro/nano hierarchical structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiao-Sheng; Zhu, Fu-Yun; Han, Meng-Di; Sun, Xu-Ming; Peng, Xu-Hua; Zhang, Hai-Xia

2013-08-27

This paper reports a novel single-step wafer-level fabrication of superhydrophobic micro/nano dual-scale (MNDS) poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) films. The MNDS PDMS films were replicated directly from an ultralow-surface-energy silicon substrate at high temperature without any surfactant coating, achieving high precision. An improved deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process with enhanced passivation steps was proposed to easily realize the ultralow-surface-energy MNDS silicon substrate and also utilized as a post-treatment process to strengthen the hydrophobicity of the MNDS PDMS film. The chemical modification of this enhanced passivation step to the surface energy has been studied by density functional theory, which is also the first investigation of C4F8 plasma treatment at molecular level by using first-principle calculations. From the results of a systematic study on the effect of key process parameters (i.e., baking temperature and time) on PDMS replication, insight into the interaction of hierarchical multiscale structures of polymeric materials during the micro/nano integrated fabrication process is experimentally obtained for the first time. Finite element simulation has been employed to illustrate this new phenomenon. Additionally, hierarchical PDMS pyramid arrays and V-shaped grooves have been developed and are intended for applications as functional structures for a light-absorption coating layer and directional transport of liquid droplets, respectively. This stable, self-cleaning PDMS film with functional micro/nano hierarchical structures, which is fabricated through a wafer-level single-step fabrication process using a reusable silicon mold, shows attractive potential for future applications in micro/nanodevices, especially in micro/nanofluidics.

Parallel hierarchical radiosity rendering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carter, Michael [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

1993-07-01

In this dissertation, the step-by-step development of a scalable parallel hierarchical radiosity renderer is documented. First, a new look is taken at the traditional radiosity equation, and a new form is presented in which the matrix of linear system coefficients is transformed into a symmetric matrix, thereby simplifying the problem and enabling a new solution technique to be applied. Next, the state-of-the-art hierarchical radiosity methods are examined for their suitability to parallel implementation, and scalability. Significant enhancements are also discovered which both improve their theoretical foundations and improve the images they generate. The resultant hierarchical radiosity algorithm is then examined for sources of parallelism, and for an architectural mapping. Several architectural mappings are discussed. A few key algorithmic changes are suggested during the process of making the algorithm parallel. Next, the performance, efficiency, and scalability of the algorithm are analyzed. The dissertation closes with a discussion of several ideas which have the potential to further enhance the hierarchical radiosity method, or provide an entirely new forum for the application of hierarchical methods.

Titanium-Phosphonate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Hierarchical Porosity for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

KAUST Repository

Li, Hui

2018-02-01

Photocatalytic hydrogen production is crucial for solar-to-chemical conversion process, wherein high-efficiency photocatalysts lie in the heart of this area. Herein a new photocatalyst of hierarchically mesoporous titanium-phosphonate-based metal-organic frameworks, featuring well-structured spheres, periodic mesostructure and large secondary mesoporosity, are rationally designed with the complex of polyelectrolyte and cathodic surfactant serving as the template. The well-structured hierarchical porosity and homogeneously incorporated phosphonate groups can favor the mass transfer and strong optical absorption during the photocatalytic reactions. Correspondingly, the titanium phosphonates exhibit significantly improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate along with impressive stability. This work can provide more insights into designing advanced photocatalysts for energy conversion and render a tunable platform in photoelectrochemical field.

Titanium-Phosphonate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Hierarchical Porosity for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

KAUST Repository

Li, Hui; Sun, Ying; Yuan, Zhong-Yong; Zhu, Yun-Pei; Ma, Tianyi

2018-01-01

Photocatalytic hydrogen production is crucial for solar-to-chemical conversion process, wherein high-efficiency photocatalysts lie in the heart of this area. Herein a new photocatalyst of hierarchically mesoporous titanium-phosphonate-based metal-organic frameworks, featuring well-structured spheres, periodic mesostructure and large secondary mesoporosity, are rationally designed with the complex of polyelectrolyte and cathodic surfactant serving as the template. The well-structured hierarchical porosity and homogeneously incorporated phosphonate groups can favor the mass transfer and strong optical absorption during the photocatalytic reactions. Correspondingly, the titanium phosphonates exhibit significantly improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate along with impressive stability. This work can provide more insights into designing advanced photocatalysts for energy conversion and render a tunable platform in photoelectrochemical field.

Hierarchical zeolites from class F coal fly ash

Science.gov (United States)

Chitta, Pallavi

Fly ash, a coal combustion byproduct is classified as types class C and class F. Class C fly ash is traditionally recycled for concrete applications and Class F fly ash often disposed in landfills. Class F poses an environmental hazard due to disposal and leaching of heavy metals into ground water and is important to be recycled in order to mitigate the environmental challenges. A major recycling option is to reuse the fly ash as a low-cost raw material for the production of crystalline zeolites, which serve as catalysts, detergents and adsorbents in the chemical industry. Most of the prior literature of fly ash conversion to zeolites does not focus on creating high zeolite surface area zeolites specifically with hierarchical pore structure, which are very important properties in developing a heterogeneous catalyst for catalysis applications. This research work aids in the development of an economical process for the synthesis of high surface area hierarchical zeolites from class F coal fly ash. In this work, synthesis of zeolites from fly ash using classic hydrothermal treatment approach and fusion pretreatment approach were examined. The fusion pretreatment method led to higher extent of dissolution of silica from quartz and mullite phases, which in turn led to higher surface area and pore size of the zeolite. A qualitative kinetic model developed here attributes the difference in silica content to Si/Al ratio of the beginning fraction of fly ash. At near ambient crystallization temperatures and longer crystallization times, the zeolite formed is a hierarchical faujasite with high surface area of at least 360 m2/g. This work enables the large scale recycling of class F coal fly ash to produce zeolites and mitigate environmental concerns. Design of experiments was used to predict surface area and pore sizes of zeolites - thus obviating the need for intense experimentation. The hierarchical zeolite catalyst supports tested for CO2 conversion, yielded hydrocarbons

A sow replacement model using Bayesian updating in a three-level hierarchic Markov process. I. Biological model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Anders Ringgaard; Søllested, Thomas Algot

2004-01-01

that really uses all these methodological improvements. In this paper, the biological model describing the performance and feed intake of sows is presented. In particular, estimation of herd specific parameters is emphasized. The optimization model is described in a subsequent paper......Several replacement models have been presented in literature. In other applicational areas like dairy cow replacement, various methodological improvements like hierarchical Markov processes and Bayesian updating have been implemented, but not in sow models. Furthermore, there are methodological...... improvements like multi-level hierarchical Markov processes with decisions on multiple time scales, efficient methods for parameter estimations at herd level and standard software that has been hardly implemented at all in any replacement model. The aim of this study is to present a sow replacement model...

Process-based modelling of tree and stand growth: towards a hierarchical treatment of multiscale processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makela, A.

2003-01-01

A generally accepted method has not emerged for managing the different temporal and spatial scales in a forest ecosystem. This paper reviews a hierarchical-modular modelling tradition, with the main focus on individual tree growth throughout the rotation. At this scale, model performance requires (i) realistic long-term dynamic properties, (ii) realistic responses of growth and mortality of competing individuals, and (iii) realistic responses to ecophysio-logical inputs. Model development and validation are illustrated through allocation patterns, height growth, and size-related feedbacks. Empirical work to test the approach is reviewed. In this approach, finer scale effects are embedded in parameters calculated using more detailed, interacting modules. This is exemplified by (i) the within-year effect of weather on annual photosynthesis, (ii) the effects of fast soil processes on carbon allocation and photosynthesis, and (iii) the utilization of detailed stem structure to predict wood quality. Prevailing management paradigms are reflected in growth modelling. A shift of emphasis has occurred from productivity in homogeneous canopies towards, e.g., wood quality versus total yield, spatially more explicit models, and growth decline in old-growth forests. The new problems emphasize the hierarchy of the system and interscale interactions, suggesting that the hierarchical-modular approach could prove constructive. (author)

Reactive chemicals and process hazards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surianarayanan, M.

2016-01-01

Exothermic chemical reactions are often accompanied by significant heat release, and therefore, need a thorough investigation before they are taken to a plant scale. Sudden thermal energy releases from exothermic decompositions and runaway reactions have contributed to serious fire and explosions in several chemical process plants. Similarly, thermal runaway had also occurred in storage and transportation of reactive chemicals. The secondary events of thermal runaway reactions can be rupture of process vessel, toxic spills and release of explosive vapor clouds or combination of these also. The explosion hazards are governed by the system thermodynamics and kinetics of the thermal process. Theoretical prediction of limiting temperature is difficult due to process complexities. Further, the kinetic data obtained through classical techniques, at conditions far away from runaway situation, is often not valid for assessing the runaway behavior of exothermic processes. The main focus of this lecture is to discuss the causes and several contributing factors for thermal runaway and instability and present analyses of the methodologies of the new instrumental techniques for assessing the thermal hazards of reactive chemicals during processing, storage and transportation. (author)

Plasma-chemical processes and systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro B, J.

1987-01-01

The direct applications of plasma technology on chemistry and metallurgy are presented. The physical fundaments of chemically active non-equilibrium plasma, the reaction kinetics, and the physical chemical transformations occuring in the electrical discharges, which are applied in the industry, are analysed. Some plasma chemical systems and processes related to the energy of hydrogen, with the chemical technology and with the metallurgy are described. Emphasis is given to the optimization of the energy effectiveness of these processes to obtain reducers and artificial energetic carriers. (M.C.K.) [pt

Photoelectrochemical properties of the TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure prepared by hydrothermal process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bao SUN

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In order to increase the transport channels of the photogenerated electrons and enhance the photosensitizer loading ability of the electrode, a new TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure is prepared through two-step hydrothermal process. First, TiO2 nanorod array is grown on the FTO conductive glass substrate by hydrothermal proess. Then, ZnO sol is coated onto the TiO2 nanorods through dip-coating method and inverted to ZnO seed layer by sintering. Finally, the secondary ZnO nanorods are grown onto the TiO2 nanorods by the sencond hydrothermal method to form the designed TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure. A spin-coating assisted successive ionic layer reaction method (SC-SILR is used to deposit the CdS nanocrystals into the TiO2 nanorod array and the TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure is used to form the CdS/TiO2 and CdS/TiO2-ZnO nanocomposite films. Different methods, such as SEM, TEM, XRD, UV-Vis and transient photocurrent, are employed to characterize and measure the morphologies, structures, light absorption and photoelectric conversion performance of all the samples, respectively. The results indicate that, compared with the pure TiO2 nanorod array, the TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure can load more CdS photosensitizer. The light absorption properties and transient photocurrent performance of the CdS/TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure composite film are evidently superior to that of the CdS/TiO2 nanocomposite films. The excellent photoelctrochemical performance of theTiO2-ZnO hierarchical structure reveales its application prospect in photoanode material of the solar cells.

Modular Chemical Process Intensification: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yong-Ha; Park, Lydia K; Yiacoumi, Sotira; Tsouris, Costas

2017-06-07

Modular chemical process intensification can dramatically improve energy and process efficiencies of chemical processes through enhanced mass and heat transfer, application of external force fields, enhanced driving forces, and combinations of different unit operations, such as reaction and separation, in single-process equipment. These dramatic improvements lead to several benefits such as compactness or small footprint, energy and cost savings, enhanced safety, less waste production, and higher product quality. Because of these benefits, process intensification can play a major role in industrial and manufacturing sectors, including chemical, pulp and paper, energy, critical materials, and water treatment, among others. This article provides an overview of process intensification, including definitions, principles, tools, and possible applications, with the objective to contribute to the future development and potential applications of modular chemical process intensification in industrial and manufacturing sectors. Drivers and barriers contributing to the advancement of process intensification technologies are discussed.

A hierarchical Markov decision process modeling feeding and marketing decisions of growing pigs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pourmoayed, Reza; Nielsen, Lars Relund; Kristensen, Anders Ringgaard

2016-01-01

Feeding is the most important cost in the production of growing pigs and has a direct impact on the marketing decisions, growth and the final quality of the meat. In this paper, we address the sequential decision problem of when to change the feed-mix within a finisher pig pen and when to pick pigs...... for marketing. We formulate a hierarchical Markov decision process with three levels representing the decision process. The model considers decisions related to feeding and marketing and finds the optimal decision given the current state of the pen. The state of the system is based on information from on...

Hierarchical species distribution models

Science.gov (United States)

Hefley, Trevor J.; Hooten, Mevin B.

2016-01-01

Determining the distribution pattern of a species is important to increase scientific knowledge, inform management decisions, and conserve biodiversity. To infer spatial and temporal patterns, species distribution models have been developed for use with many sampling designs and types of data. Recently, it has been shown that count, presence-absence, and presence-only data can be conceptualized as arising from a point process distribution. Therefore, it is important to understand properties of the point process distribution. We examine how the hierarchical species distribution modeling framework has been used to incorporate a wide array of regression and theory-based components while accounting for the data collection process and making use of auxiliary information. The hierarchical modeling framework allows us to demonstrate how several commonly used species distribution models can be derived from the point process distribution, highlight areas of potential overlap between different models, and suggest areas where further research is needed.

Functional annotation of hierarchical modularity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanchana Padmanabhan

Full Text Available In biological networks of molecular interactions in a cell, network motifs that are biologically relevant are also functionally coherent, or form functional modules. These functionally coherent modules combine in a hierarchical manner into larger, less cohesive subsystems, thus revealing one of the essential design principles of system-level cellular organization and function-hierarchical modularity. Arguably, hierarchical modularity has not been explicitly taken into consideration by most, if not all, functional annotation systems. As a result, the existing methods would often fail to assign a statistically significant functional coherence score to biologically relevant molecular machines. We developed a methodology for hierarchical functional annotation. Given the hierarchical taxonomy of functional concepts (e.g., Gene Ontology and the association of individual genes or proteins with these concepts (e.g., GO terms, our method will assign a Hierarchical Modularity Score (HMS to each node in the hierarchy of functional modules; the HMS score and its p-value measure functional coherence of each module in the hierarchy. While existing methods annotate each module with a set of "enriched" functional terms in a bag of genes, our complementary method provides the hierarchical functional annotation of the modules and their hierarchically organized components. A hierarchical organization of functional modules often comes as a bi-product of cluster analysis of gene expression data or protein interaction data. Otherwise, our method will automatically build such a hierarchy by directly incorporating the functional taxonomy information into the hierarchy search process and by allowing multi-functional genes to be part of more than one component in the hierarchy. In addition, its underlying HMS scoring metric ensures that functional specificity of the terms across different levels of the hierarchical taxonomy is properly treated. We have evaluated our

Chemical radwaste solidification processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malloy, C.W.

1979-01-01

Some of these processes and their problems are briefly reviewed: early cement systems; urea-formaldehyde; Dow solidification process; low-viscosity chemical agents (POLYPAC); and water-extensible polyester. 9 refs

Methanol wetting enthalpy on few-layer graphene decorated hierarchical carbon foam for cooling applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paul, R., E-mail: paul24@purdue.edu [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Zemlyanov, D. [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Voevodin, A.A.; Roy, A.K. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, OH 45433 (United States); Fisher, T.S. [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)

2014-12-01

Vertical few-layer thick graphene petals are grown on macro-porous carbon foam surfaces having an intrinsic open porosity of 75%. This provides a hierarchical porous structure with a potential for surface adsorption/desorption or wetting/dewetting based thermal energy storage applications. Carbon foams have a combined advantage of large surface area and high thermal conductivity critical for thermal energy storage, but they are prone to oxidation and exhibit low adsorption enthalpies for lightweight hydrocarbons. Here we report graphene petal decoration of carbon foam surfaces and subsequent chemical modification through boron nitride incorporation in hexagonal carbon planes of both carbon foams and graphene petals. This chemically reactive hierarchical structure is characterized with FESEM, Raman, XRD, and XPS measurements. Methanol wetting enthalpy of this three-dimensional hierarchical material was measured with a solution calorimeter, and had shown a six fold increase (from 78 to 522 J/g of foam) as compared to the carbon foam prior to the surface modification. Influences of petal decoration on the surface morphology of carbon foam, BN chemical modification, structure and stoichiometry of the hierarchical material surface, and methanol wetting enthalpy improvement are discussed in detail. The applicability of this hierarchical porous material for thermal energy applications is established. - Highlights: • 500 nm thick few layer graphene petals decoration vertically on macroporous carbon foam surface. • Microwave heating assisted chemical treatment for boron-nitride modification. • Defective petals edges due to boron nitride domain formation. • 20 at. % boron and nitrogen incorporation. • Six fold increase in methanol wetting enthalpy on boron-nitride modification.

Methanol wetting enthalpy on few-layer graphene decorated hierarchical carbon foam for cooling applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, R.; Zemlyanov, D.; Voevodin, A.A.; Roy, A.K.; Fisher, T.S.

2014-01-01

Vertical few-layer thick graphene petals are grown on macro-porous carbon foam surfaces having an intrinsic open porosity of 75%. This provides a hierarchical porous structure with a potential for surface adsorption/desorption or wetting/dewetting based thermal energy storage applications. Carbon foams have a combined advantage of large surface area and high thermal conductivity critical for thermal energy storage, but they are prone to oxidation and exhibit low adsorption enthalpies for lightweight hydrocarbons. Here we report graphene petal decoration of carbon foam surfaces and subsequent chemical modification through boron nitride incorporation in hexagonal carbon planes of both carbon foams and graphene petals. This chemically reactive hierarchical structure is characterized with FESEM, Raman, XRD, and XPS measurements. Methanol wetting enthalpy of this three-dimensional hierarchical material was measured with a solution calorimeter, and had shown a six fold increase (from 78 to 522 J/g of foam) as compared to the carbon foam prior to the surface modification. Influences of petal decoration on the surface morphology of carbon foam, BN chemical modification, structure and stoichiometry of the hierarchical material surface, and methanol wetting enthalpy improvement are discussed in detail. The applicability of this hierarchical porous material for thermal energy applications is established. - Highlights: • 500 nm thick few layer graphene petals decoration vertically on macroporous carbon foam surface. • Microwave heating assisted chemical treatment for boron-nitride modification. • Defective petals edges due to boron nitride domain formation. • 20 at. % boron and nitrogen incorporation. • Six fold increase in methanol wetting enthalpy on boron-nitride modification

Chemical process safety at fuel cycle facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayres, D.A.

1997-08-01

This NUREG provides broad guidance on chemical safety issues relevant to fuel cycle facilities. It describes an approach acceptable to the NRC staff, with examples that are not exhaustive, for addressing chemical process safety in the safe storage, handling, and processing of licensed nuclear material. It expounds to license holders and applicants a general philosophy of the role of chemical process safety with respect to NRC-licensed materials; sets forth the basic information needed to properly evaluate chemical process safety; and describes plausible methods of identifying and evaluating chemical hazards and assessing the adequacy of the chemical safety of the proposed equipment and facilities. Examples of equipment and methods commonly used to prevent and/or mitigate the consequences of chemical incidents are discussed in this document

Process-based principles for restoring river ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Timothy J. Beechie; David A. Sear; Julian D. Olden; George R. Pess; John M. Buffington; Hamish Moir; Philip Roni; Michael M. Pollock

2010-01-01

Process-based restoration aims to reestablish normative rates and magnitudes of physical, chemical, and biological processes that sustain river and floodplain ecosystems. Ecosystem conditions at any site are governed by hierarchical regional, watershed, and reach-scale processes controlling hydrologic and sediment regimes; floodplain and aquatic habitat...

Two-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon composites derived from corn stalks for electrode materials with high performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Haitao; Zhang, Huijuan; Ouyang, Ya; Liu, Li; Wang, Yu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Novel 2D porous carbon sheets from cornstalks are obtained for the first time. • The hierarchical porous carbon nansheets are gained by chemical activation. • The porous structure facilitates ion transfer and Li-ion absorption. • The strategy are applied to both cathode and anode electrode materials. • The porous nanocomposites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance. - Abstract: Herein, we propose a novel and green strategy to convert crop stalks waste into hierarchical porous carbon composites for electrode materials of lithium-ion batteries. In the method, the sustainable crop stalks, an abundant agricultural byproduct, is recycled and treated by a simple and clean chemical activation process. Afterwards, the obtained porous template is adopted for large-scale production of high-performance anode and cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Due to the large surface area, hierarchical porous structures and subsize of the functional particles, the electrode materials manifest excellent electrochemical performance. In particular, the prepared TiO 2 /C composite presents a reversible specific capacity of 203 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles. Our results demonstrate that the sheetlike composites show remarkable cycling stability, high specific capacity and excellent rate ability, and thus hold promise for commercializing the high-performance electrode materials as the advanced lithium-ion batteries.

Development of balanced key performance indicators for emergency departments strategic dashboards following analytic hierarchical process.

Science.gov (United States)

Safdari, Reza; Ghazisaeedi, Marjan; Mirzaee, Mahboobeh; Farzi, Jebrail; Goodini, Azadeh

2014-01-01

Dynamic reporting tools, such as dashboards, should be developed to measure emergency department (ED) performance. However, choosing an effective balanced set of performance measures and key performance indicators (KPIs) is a main challenge to accomplish this. The aim of this study was to develop a balanced set of KPIs for use in ED strategic dashboards following an analytic hierarchical process. The study was carried out in 2 phases: constructing ED performance measures based on balanced scorecard perspectives and incorporating them into analytic hierarchical process framework to select the final KPIs. The respondents placed most importance on ED internal processes perspective especially on measures related to timeliness and accessibility of care in ED. Some measures from financial, customer, and learning and growth perspectives were also selected as other top KPIs. Measures of care effectiveness and care safety were placed as the next priorities too. The respondents placed least importance on disease-/condition-specific "time to" measures. The methodology can be presented as a reference model for development of KPIs in various performance related areas based on a consistent and fair approach. Dashboards that are designed based on such a balanced set of KPIs will help to establish comprehensive performance measurements and fair benchmarks and comparisons.

Rapid fabrication of hierarchically structured supramolecular nanocomposite thin films in one minute

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Ting; Kao, Joseph

2016-11-08

Functional nanocomposites containing nanoparticles of different chemical compositions may exhibit new properties to meet demands for advanced technology. It is imperative to simultaneously achieve hierarchical structural control and to develop rapid, scalable fabrication to minimize degradation of nanoparticle properties and for compatibility with nanomanufacturing. The assembly kinetics of supramolecular nanocomposite in thin films is governed by the energetic cost arising from defects, the chain mobility, and the activation energy for inter-domain diffusion. By optimizing only one parameter, the solvent fraction in the film, the assembly kinetics can be precisely tailored to produce hierarchically structured thin films of supramolecular nanocomposites in approximately one minute. Moreover, the strong wavelength dependent optical anisotropy in the nanocomposite highlights their potential applications for light manipulation and information transmission. The present invention opens a new avenue in designing manufacture-friendly continuous processing for the fabrication of functional nanocomposite thin films.

Hierarchical electrode architectures for electrical energy storage & conversion.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zavadil, Kevin Robert; Missert, Nancy A.; Shelnutt, John Allen; van Swol, Frank B.

2012-01-01

The integration and stability of electrocatalytic nanostructures, which represent one level of porosity in a hierarchical structural scheme when combined with a three-dimensional support scaffold, has been studied using a combination of synthetic processes, characterization techniques, and computational methods. Dendritic platinum nanostructures have been covalently linked to common electrode surfaces using a newly developed chemical route; a chemical route equally applicable to a range of metals, oxides, and semiconductive materials. Characterization of the resulting bound nanostructure system confirms successful binding, while electrochemistry and microscopy demonstrate the viability of these electroactive particles. Scanning tunneling microscopy has been used to image and validate the short-term stability of several electrode-bound platinum dendritic sheet structures toward Oswald ripening. Kinetic Monte Carlo methods have been applied to develop an understanding of the stability of the basic nano-scale porous platinum sheets as they transform from an initial dendrite to hole containing sheets. Alternate synthetic strategies were pursued to grow dendritic platinum structures directly onto subunits (graphitic particles) of the electrode scaffold. A two-step photocatalytic seeding process proved successful at generating desirable nano-scale porous structures. Growth in-place is an alternate strategy to the covalent linking of the electrocatalytic nanostructures.

A thick hierarchical rutile TiO2 nanomaterial with multilayered structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Shengli; Xie, Guoqiang; Yang, Xianjin; Cui, Zhenduo

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We synthesized a new rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial with a hierarchical nanostructure. ► The nano architecture structure consist of nanorods and nanoflower arrays. ► The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial is thick in size (several 10 μm). ► The TiO 2 nanomaterials present a multilayer structure. - Abstract: In the present paper, we synthesized a new type of rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial with a hierarchical nanostructure using a novel method, which combined dealloying process with chemical synthesis. The structure characters were examined using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial is thick in size (several 10 μm). The hierarchical structure of the rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial consists of large quantities nanorods and nanoflower arrays. The nanoflowers consist of serveral nanopetals with diameter of 100–200 nm. The cross section of TiO 2 nanomaterials presents a multilayer structure with the layer thickness of about 3–5 μm. The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial has high specific surface area. The formation mechanism of the rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial was discussed according to the experimental results. The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial has potential applications in catalysis, photocatalysis and solar cells

Chemical Fingerprint and Quantitative Analysis for the Quality Evaluation of Platycladi cacumen by Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Hierarchical Cluster Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Mingqiu; Li, Sam Fong Yau; Yu, Sheng; Qian, Yan; Guo, Shuchen; Zhang, Li; Ding, Anwei

2018-01-01

Platycladi cacumen (dried twigs and leaves of Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco) is a frequently utilized Chinese medicinal herb. To evaluate the quality of the phytomedcine, an ultra-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection was established for chemical fingerprinting and quantitative analysis. In this study, 27 batches of P. cacumen from different regions were collected for analysis. A chemical fingerprint with 20 common peaks was obtained using Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Version 2004A). Among these 20 components, seven flavonoids (myricitrin, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, afzelin, cupressuflavone, amentoflavone and hinokiflavone) were identified and determined simultaneously. In the method validation, the seven analytes showed good regressions (R ≥ 0.9995) within linear ranges and good recoveries from 96.4% to 103.3%. Furthermore, with the contents of these seven flavonoids, hierarchical clustering analysis was applied to distinguish the 27 batches into five groups. The chemometric results showed that these groups were almost consistent with geographical positions and climatic conditions of the production regions. Integrating fingerprint analysis, simultaneous determination and hierarchical clustering analysis, the established method is rapid, sensitive, accurate and readily applicable, and also provides a significant foundation for quality control of P. cacumen efficiently. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hierarchically structured exergetic and exergoeconomic analysis and evaluation of energy conversion processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hebecker, Dietrich; Bittrich, Petra; Riedl, Karsten

2005-01-01

Evaluation of the efficiency and economic benefit of energy conversion processes and technologies requires a scientifically based analysis. The hierarchically structured exergetic analysis provides a detailed characterization of complex technical systems. By defining corresponding evaluation coefficients, the exergetic efficiency can be assessed for units within the whole system. Based on this exergetic analysis, a thermoeconomic evaluation method is developed. A cost function is defined for all units, subsystems and the total plant, so that the cost flow in the system can be calculated. Three dimensionless coefficients, the Pauer factor, the loss coefficient and the cost factor, enable pinpointing cost intensive process units, allocating cost in cases of co-production and gaining insight for future design improvements. The methodology is demonstrated by a biomass gasification plant producing electricity, heat and cold

Chemical process control using Mat lab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Sin Chun; Kim, Raeh Yeon; Kim, Yang Su; Oh, Min; Yeo, Yeong Gu; Jung, Yeon Su

2001-07-01

This book is about chemical process control, which includes the basis of process control with conception, function, composition of system and summary, change of laplace and linearization, modeling of chemical process, transfer function and block diagram, the first dynamic property of process, the second dynamic property of process, the dynamic property of combined process, control structure of feedback on component of control system, the dynamic property of feedback control loop, stability of closed loop control structure, expression of process, modification and composition of controller, analysis of vibration response and adjustment controller using vibration response.

Hierarchical control system of advanced robot manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oomichi, Takeo; Okino, Akihisa; Nishihara, Masatoshi; Sakamoto, Taizou; Matsuda, Koichi; Ohnishi, Ken

1990-01-01

We introduce a double arm with 4-finger's manipulator system which process the large volume of information at high speed. This is under research/development many type of works in the harsh condition. Namely, hierarchization of instruction unit in which motion control system as real time processing unit, and task planning unit as non-real time processing unit, interface with operation through the task planning unit has been made. Also, high speed processing of large volume information has been realized by decentralizing the motion control unit by function, hierarchizing the high speed processing unit, and developing high speed transmission, IC which does not depend on computer OS to avoid the delay in transmission. (author)

Advances in chemical product design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Lei; Fung, Ka Yip; Wibowo, Christianto

2018-01-01

The nature of chemical product design problems is diverse and multidisciplinary. It involves many design issues such as project management, market study, product design, process design, and economic analysis for better organizing the product design project and achieving better products. This arti......The nature of chemical product design problems is diverse and multidisciplinary. It involves many design issues such as project management, market study, product design, process design, and economic analysis for better organizing the product design project and achieving better products....... This article provides an overview of chemical product design with a multidisciplinary hierarchical framework including all the design issues and tasks. Each of the design issues and tasks are introduced and discussed, methods and tools are summarized and compared, challenges and perspectives are presented...... to help the chemical product design researchers on finding more novel, innovative and sustainable products, by the combined effort from academia and industry to develop a systematic generic framework, and tools including product simulator, process simulator, database manager, modeling tool, and templates...

Hierarchical processing in music, language, and action: Lashley revisited.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitch, W Tecumseh; Martins, Mauricio D

2014-05-01

Sixty years ago, Karl Lashley suggested that complex action sequences, from simple motor acts to language and music, are a fundamental but neglected aspect of neural function. Lashley demonstrated the inadequacy of then-standard models of associative chaining, positing a more flexible and generalized "syntax of action" necessary to encompass key aspects of language and music. He suggested that hierarchy in language and music builds upon a more basic sequential action system, and provided several concrete hypotheses about the nature of this system. Here, we review a diverse set of modern data concerning musical, linguistic, and other action processing, finding them largely consistent with an updated neuroanatomical version of Lashley's hypotheses. In particular, the lateral premotor cortex, including Broca's area, plays important roles in hierarchical processing in language, music, and at least some action sequences. Although the precise computational function of the lateral prefrontal regions in action syntax remains debated, Lashley's notion-that this cortical region implements a working-memory buffer or stack scannable by posterior and subcortical brain regions-is consistent with considerable experimental data. © 2014 The Authors. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of The New York Academy of Sciences.

Applications of Process Synthesis: Moving from Conventional Chemical Processes towards Biorefinery Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yuan, Zhihong; Chen, Bingzhen; Gani, Rafiqul

2013-01-01

Concerns about diminishing petroleum reserves, enhanced worldwide demand for fuels and fluctuations in the global oil market, together with climate change and national security have promoted many initiatives for exploring alternative, non-petroleum based processes. Among these initiatives......, biorefinery processes for converting biomass-derived carbohydrates into transportation fuels and chemicals are now gaining more and more attention from both academia and industry. Process synthesis, which has played a vital role for the development, design and operation of (petro) chemical processes, can...

Bioinspired fabrication of magneto-optic hierarchical architecture by hydrothermal process from butterfly wing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Wenhong; Hu Xiaobin; Zhang Di

2011-01-01

We developed a green solution to incorporate nano-Fe 3 O 4 into the hierarchical architecture of a natural butterfly wing, thus obtaining unique magneto-optic nanocomposites with otherwise unavailable photonic features. Morphological characterization and Fourier Transform Infrared-Raman Spectroscope measurements indicate the assembly of Fe 3 O 4 nanocrystallites. The magnetic and optical responses of Fe 3 O 4 /wing show a coupling effect between the biological structure and magnetic material. The saturation magnetization and coercivity values of the as-prepared magneto-optic architecture varied with change of subtle structure. Such a combination of nano-Fe 3 O 4 and natural butterfly wing might create novel magneto-optic properties, and the relevant ideas could inspire the investigation of magneto-optical devices. - Highlights: → We develop a green, easy controlled hydrothermal process to synthesize magnetite hierarchical architecture. → The optical response of Fe 3 O 4 /wing exhibits a coupling effect between the structure and material. → The saturation magnetization value is mediated by shape anisotropy and the stress of different subtle structure, which has provided unique insights into studying the mysterious magnetic property of magnetite.

Hierarchical partial order ranking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlsen, Lars

2008-01-01

Assessing the potential impact on environmental and human health from the production and use of chemicals or from polluted sites involves a multi-criteria evaluation scheme. A priori several parameters are to address, e.g., production tonnage, specific release scenarios, geographical and site-specific factors in addition to various substance dependent parameters. Further socio-economic factors may be taken into consideration. The number of parameters to be included may well appear to be prohibitive for developing a sensible model. The study introduces hierarchical partial order ranking (HPOR) that remedies this problem. By HPOR the original parameters are initially grouped based on their mutual connection and a set of meta-descriptors is derived representing the ranking corresponding to the single groups of descriptors, respectively. A second partial order ranking is carried out based on the meta-descriptors, the final ranking being disclosed though average ranks. An illustrative example on the prioritisation of polluted sites is given. - Hierarchical partial order ranking of polluted sites has been developed for prioritization based on a large number of parameters

In situ deposition of hierarchical architecture assembly from Sn-filled CNTs for lithium-ion batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Xiaoyu; Jiang, Hao; Hu, Yanjie; Li, Yunfeng; Huo, Junchao; Li, Chunzhong

2013-07-24

In this paper, we have demonstrated a hierarchical architecture assembly from Sn-filled CNTs, which was in situ deposited on Cu foils to form binder-free electrode by incorporating flame aerosol deposition (FAD) with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. The reversible capacity of Sn-filled CNTs hierarchical architecture anode exhibited above 1000 mA h g(-1) before 30th cycle and stabilized at 437 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g(-1). Even at as high as 2 A g(-1), the capacity still maintained 429 mA h g(-1). The desirable cycling life and rate capacities performance were attributed to great confinement of tin in the interior of CNTs and the superior conducting network constructed by the 3D hierarchical architecture. The novel, rapid and scalable synthetic route was designed to prepare binder-free electrode with high electrochemical performance and avoid long-time mixing of active materials, binder, and carbon black, which is expected to be one of promising preparation of Sn/C anodes in lithium-ion batteries.

Relating Memory To Functional Performance In Normal Aging to Dementia Using Hierarchical Bayesian Cognitive Processing Models

Science.gov (United States)

Shankle, William R.; Pooley, James P.; Steyvers, Mark; Hara, Junko; Mangrola, Tushar; Reisberg, Barry; Lee, Michael D.

2012-01-01

Determining how cognition affects functional abilities is important in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD). 280 patients (normal or ADRD) received a total of 1,514 assessments using the Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST) procedure and the MCI Screen (MCIS). A hierarchical Bayesian cognitive processing (HBCP) model was created by embedding a signal detection theory (SDT) model of the MCIS delayed recognition memory task into a hierarchical Bayesian framework. The SDT model used latent parameters of discriminability (memory process) and response bias (executive function) to predict, simultaneously, recognition memory performance for each patient and each FAST severity group. The observed recognition memory data did not distinguish the six FAST severity stages, but the latent parameters completely separated them. The latent parameters were also used successfully to transform the ordinal FAST measure into a continuous measure reflecting the underlying continuum of functional severity. HBCP models applied to recognition memory data from clinical practice settings accurately translated a latent measure of cognition to a continuous measure of functional severity for both individuals and FAST groups. Such a translation links two levels of brain information processing, and may enable more accurate correlations with other levels, such as those characterized by biomarkers. PMID:22407225

Learning with hierarchical-deep models.

Science.gov (United States)

Salakhutdinov, Ruslan; Tenenbaum, Joshua B; Torralba, Antonio

2013-08-01

We introduce HD (or “Hierarchical-Deep”) models, a new compositional learning architecture that integrates deep learning models with structured hierarchical Bayesian (HB) models. Specifically, we show how we can learn a hierarchical Dirichlet process (HDP) prior over the activities of the top-level features in a deep Boltzmann machine (DBM). This compound HDP-DBM model learns to learn novel concepts from very few training example by learning low-level generic features, high-level features that capture correlations among low-level features, and a category hierarchy for sharing priors over the high-level features that are typical of different kinds of concepts. We present efficient learning and inference algorithms for the HDP-DBM model and show that it is able to learn new concepts from very few examples on CIFAR-100 object recognition, handwritten character recognition, and human motion capture datasets.

Hierarchical drivers of reef-fish metacommunity structure.

Science.gov (United States)

MacNeil, M Aaron; Graham, Nicholas A J; Polunin, Nicholas V C; Kulbicki, Michel; Galzin, René; Harmelin-Vivien, Mireille; Rushton, Steven P

2009-01-01

Coral reefs are highly complex ecological systems, where multiple processes interact across scales in space and time to create assemblages of exceptionally high biodiversity. Despite the increasing frequency of hierarchically structured sampling programs used in coral-reef science, little progress has been made in quantifying the relative importance of processes operating across multiple scales. The vast majority of reef studies are conducted, or at least analyzed, at a single spatial scale, ignoring the implicitly hierarchical structure of the overall system in favor of small-scale experiments or large-scale observations. Here we demonstrate how alpha (mean local number of species), beta diversity (degree of species dissimilarity among local sites), and gamma diversity (overall species richness) vary with spatial scale, and using a hierarchical, information-theoretic approach, we evaluate the relative importance of site-, reef-, and atoll-level processes driving the fish metacommunity structure among 10 atolls in French Polynesia. Process-based models, representing well-established hypotheses about drivers of reef-fish community structure, were assembled into a candidate set of 12 hierarchical linear models. Variation in fish abundance, biomass, and species richness were unevenly distributed among transect, reef, and atoll levels, establishing the relative contribution of variation at these spatial scales to the structure of the metacommunity. Reef-fish biomass, species richness, and the abundance of most functional-groups corresponded primarily with transect-level habitat diversity and atoll-lagoon size, whereas detritivore and grazer abundances were largely correlated with potential covariates of larval dispersal. Our findings show that (1) within-transect and among-atoll factors primarily drive the relationship between alpha and gamma diversity in this reef-fish metacommunity; (2) habitat is the primary correlate with reef-fish metacommunity structure at

Hierarchical Clustering of Large Databases and Classification of Antibiotics at High Noise Levels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander V. Yarkov

2008-12-01

Full Text Available A new algorithm for divisive hierarchical clustering of chemical compounds based on 2D structural fragments is suggested. The algorithm is deterministic, and given a random ordering of the input, will always give the same clustering and can process a database up to 2 million records on a standard PC. The algorithm was used for classification of 1,183 antibiotics mixed with 999,994 random chemical structures. Similarity threshold, at which best separation of active and non active compounds took place, was estimated as 0.6. 85.7% of the antibiotics were successfully classified at this threshold with 0.4% of inaccurate compounds. A .sdf file was created with the probe molecules for clustering of external databases.

Conceptual hierarchical modeling to describe wetland plant community organization

Science.gov (United States)

Little, A.M.; Guntenspergen, G.R.; Allen, T.F.H.

2010-01-01

Using multivariate analysis, we created a hierarchical modeling process that describes how differently-scaled environmental factors interact to affect wetland-scale plant community organization in a system of small, isolated wetlands on Mount Desert Island, Maine. We followed the procedure: 1) delineate wetland groups using cluster analysis, 2) identify differently scaled environmental gradients using non-metric multidimensional scaling, 3) order gradient hierarchical levels according to spatiotem-poral scale of fluctuation, and 4) assemble hierarchical model using group relationships with ordination axes and post-hoc tests of environmental differences. Using this process, we determined 1) large wetland size and poor surface water chemistry led to the development of shrub fen wetland vegetation, 2) Sphagnum and water chemistry differences affected fen vs. marsh / sedge meadows status within small wetlands, and 3) small-scale hydrologic differences explained transitions between forested vs. non-forested and marsh vs. sedge meadow vegetation. This hierarchical modeling process can help explain how upper level contextual processes constrain biotic community response to lower-level environmental changes. It creates models with more nuanced spatiotemporal complexity than classification and regression tree procedures. Using this process, wetland scientists will be able to generate more generalizable theories of plant community organization, and useful management models. ?? Society of Wetland Scientists 2009.

Hierarchical porous ZnO microflowers with ultra-high ethanol gas-sensing at low concentration

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Liming; Yue, He; Li, Haiying; Liu, Li; Li, Yu; Du, Liting; Duan, Haojie; Klyui, N. I.

2018-05-01

Hierarchical porous and non-porous ZnO microflowers have been successfully fabricated by hydrothermal method. Their crystal structure, morphology and gas-sensing properties were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and chemical gas sensing intelligent analysis system (CGS). Compared with hierarchical non-porous ZnO microflowers, hierarchical porous ZnO microflowers exhibited ultra-high sensitivity with 50 ppm ethanol at 260 °C and the response is 110, which is 1.8 times higher than that of non-porous ZnO microflowers. Moreover, the lowest concentration limit of hierarchical porous ZnO microflowers (non-porous ZnO microflowers) to ethanol is 0.1 (1) ppm, the response value is 1.6 (1).

Preference for oddity: uniqueness heuristic or hierarchical choice process?

Science.gov (United States)

Waite, Thomas A

2008-10-01

Traditional economic theories assume decision makers in multialternative choice tasks "assign" a value to each option and then express rational preferences. Here, I report an apparent violation of such rationality in gray jays (Perisoreus canadensis). I tested the jays' preference in a quaternary choice task where three options were the same color and the fourth option was a different color. All options offered an identical food reward and so the strictly rational expectation was that subjects would choose the odd-colored option in 25% of choices. In clear disagreement, every subject chose the odd option more frequently than expected. I speculate as to how this surprising preference for oddity might have been ecologically rational: by using a unique-choice heuristic, the jays might have been able to bypass a deliberative phase of the decision process and devote more attention to scanning for predators. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the jays did not prefer oddity per se. Instead, they might have used a hierarchical process, assigning options to color categories and then choosing between categories. If so, their behavior matches expectation after all (on average, subjects chose the odd option 50% of the time). It should be straightforward to test these competing hypotheses. The current results can be viewed as a new example of how simple mechanisms sometimes produce economically puzzling yet ecologically rational decision making.

Mental structures and hierarchical brain processing. Comment on “Toward a computational framework for cognitive biology: Unifying approaches from cognitive neuroscience and comparative cognition” by W. Tecumseh Fitch

Science.gov (United States)

Petkov, C. I.

2014-09-01

Fitch proposes an appealing hypothesis that humans are dendrophiles, who constantly build mental trees supported by analogous hierarchical brain processes [1]. Moreover, it is argued that, by comparison, nonhuman animals build flat or more compact behaviorally-relevant structures. Should we thus expect less impressive hierarchical brain processes in other animals? Not necessarily.

One wouldn't expect an expert bowler to hit only two pins: Hierarchical predictive processing of agent-caused events.

Science.gov (United States)

Heil, Lieke; Kwisthout, Johan; van Pelt, Stan; van Rooij, Iris; Bekkering, Harold

2018-01-01

Evidence is accumulating that our brains process incoming information using top-down predictions. If lower level representations are correctly predicted by higher level representations, this enhances processing. However, if they are incorrectly predicted, additional processing is required at higher levels to "explain away" prediction errors. Here, we explored the potential nature of the models generating such predictions. More specifically, we investigated whether a predictive processing model with a hierarchical structure and causal relations between its levels is able to account for the processing of agent-caused events. In Experiment 1, participants watched animated movies of "experienced" and "novice" bowlers. The results are in line with the idea that prediction errors at a lower level of the hierarchy (i.e., the outcome of how many pins fell down) slow down reporting of information at a higher level (i.e., which agent was throwing the ball). Experiments 2 and 3 suggest that this effect is specific to situations in which the predictor is causally related to the outcome. Overall, the study supports the idea that a hierarchical predictive processing model can account for the processing of observed action outcomes and that the predictions involved are specific to cases where action outcomes can be predicted based on causal knowledge.

Chemical process and plant design bibliography 1959-1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, M.S.

1991-01-01

This book is concerned specifically with chemical process in formation and plant equipment design data. It is a source for chemical engineers, students and academics involved in process and design evaluation. Over 500 chemical categories are included, from Acetaldehyde to zirconium Dioxide, with cross-referencing within the book to appropriate associated chemicals

A sow replacement model using Bayesian updating in a three-level hierarchic Markov process. II. Optimization model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Anders Ringgaard; Søllested, Thomas Algot

2004-01-01

improvements. The biological model of the replacement model is described in a previous paper and in this paper the optimization model is described. The model is developed as a prototype for use under practical conditions. The application of the model is demonstrated using data from two commercial Danish sow......Recent methodological improvements in replacement models comprising multi-level hierarchical Markov processes and Bayesian updating have hardly been implemented in any replacement model and the aim of this study is to present a sow replacement model that really uses these methodological...... herds. It is concluded that the Bayesian updating technique and the hierarchical structure decrease the size of the state space dramatically. Since parameter estimates vary considerably among herds it is concluded that decision support concerning sow replacement only makes sense with parameters...

Learning Additional Languages as Hierarchical Probabilistic Inference: Insights From First Language Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Pajak, Bozena; Fine, Alex B; Kleinschmidt, Dave F; Jaeger, T Florian

2016-12-01

We present a framework of second and additional language (L2/L n ) acquisition motivated by recent work on socio-indexical knowledge in first language (L1) processing. The distribution of linguistic categories covaries with socio-indexical variables (e.g., talker identity, gender, dialects). We summarize evidence that implicit probabilistic knowledge of this covariance is critical to L1 processing, and propose that L2/L n learning uses the same type of socio-indexical information to probabilistically infer latent hierarchical structure over previously learned and new languages. This structure guides the acquisition of new languages based on their inferred place within that hierarchy, and is itself continuously revised based on new input from any language. This proposal unifies L1 processing and L2/L n acquisition as probabilistic inference under uncertainty over socio-indexical structure. It also offers a new perspective on crosslinguistic influences during L2/L n learning, accommodating gradient and continued transfer (both negative and positive) from previously learned to novel languages, and vice versa.

Dynamic anticipatory processing of hierarchical sequential events: a common role for Broca's area and ventral premotor cortex across domains?

Science.gov (United States)

Fiebach, Christian J; Schubotz, Ricarda I

2006-05-01

This paper proposes a domain-general model for the functional contribution of ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and adjacent Broca's area to perceptual, cognitive, and motor processing. We propose to understand this frontal region as a highly flexible sequence processor, with the PMv mapping sequential events onto stored structural templates and Broca's Area involved in more complex, hierarchical or hypersequential processing. This proposal is supported by reference to previous functional neuroimaging studies investigating abstract sequence processing and syntactic processing.

Two-step growth mechanism of supported Co3O4-based sea-urchin like hierarchical nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Maurizio, Chiara; Edla, Raju; Michieli, Niccolo'; Orlandi, Michele; Trapananti, Angela; Mattei, Giovanni; Miotello, Antonio

2018-05-01

Supported 3D hierarchical nanostructures of transition metal oxides exhibit enhanced photocatalytic performances and long-term stability under working conditions. The growth mechanisms crucially determine their intimate structure, that is a key element to optimize their properties. We report on the formation mechanism of supported Co3O4 hierarchical sea urchin-like nanostructured catalyst, starting from Co-O-B layers deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). The particles deposited on the layer surface, that constitute the seeds for the urchin formation, have been investigated after separation from the underneath deposited layer, by X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The comparison with PLD deposited layers without O and/or B indicates a crucial role of B for the urchin formation that (i) limits Co oxidation during the deposition process and (ii) induces a chemical reduction of Co, especially in the particle core, in the first step of air annealing (2 h, 500 °C). After 2 h heating Co oxidation proceeds and Co atoms outdiffuse from the Co fcc particle core likely through fast diffusion channel present in the shell and form Co3O4 nano-needles. The growth of nano-needles from the layer beneath the particles is prevented by a faster Co oxidation and a minimum fraction of metallic Co. This investigation shows how diffusion mechanisms and chemical effects can be effectively coupled to obtain hierarchical structures of transition metal oxides.

Textiles and clothing sustainability sustainable textile chemical processes

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book highlights the challenges in sustainable wet processing of textiles, natural dyes, enzymatic textiles and sustainable textile finishes. Textile industry is known for its chemical processing issues and many NGO’s are behind the textile sector to streamline its chemical processing, which is the black face of clothing and fashion sector. Sustainable textile chemical processes are crucial for attaining sustainability in the clothing sector. Seven comprehensive chapters are aimed to highlight these issues in the book.

Dynamic classification of fetal heart rates by hierarchical Dirichlet process mixture models.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kezi Yu

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an application of non-parametric Bayesian (NPB models for classification of fetal heart rate (FHR recordings. More specifically, we propose models that are used to differentiate between FHR recordings that are from fetuses with or without adverse outcomes. In our work, we rely on models based on hierarchical Dirichlet processes (HDP and the Chinese restaurant process with finite capacity (CRFC. Two mixture models were inferred from real recordings, one that represents healthy and another, non-healthy fetuses. The models were then used to classify new recordings and provide the probability of the fetus being healthy. First, we compared the classification performance of the HDP models with that of support vector machines on real data and concluded that the HDP models achieved better performance. Then we demonstrated the use of mixture models based on CRFC for dynamic classification of the performance of (FHR recordings in a real-time setting.

Chemical process safety management within the Department of Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piatt, J.A.

1995-07-01

Although the Department of Energy (DOE) is not well known for its chemical processing activities, the DOE does have a variety of chemical processes covered under OSHA's Rule for Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (the PSM Standard). DOE, like industry, is obligated to comply with the PSM Standard. The shift in the mission of DOE away from defense programs toward environmental restoration and waste management has affected these newly forming process safety management programs within DOE. This paper describes the progress made in implementing effective process safety management programs required by the PSM Standard and discusses some of the trends that have supported efforts to reduce chemical process risks within the DOE. In June of 1994, a survey of chemicals exceeding OSHA PSM or EPA Risk Management Program threshold quantities (TQs) at DOE sites found that there were 22 processes that utilized toxic or reactive chemicals over TQs; there were 13 processes involving flammable gases and liquids over TQs; and explosives manufacturing occurred at 4 sites. Examination of the survey results showed that 12 of the 22 processes involving toxic chemicals involved the use of chlorine for water treatment systems. The processes involving flammable gases and liquids were located at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and Naval petroleum Reserve sites

BiOCl nanowire with hierarchical structure and its Raman features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Ye; Guo Chuanfei; Guo Yanjun; Wang Qi; Liu Qian

2012-01-01

BiOCl is a promising V-VI-VII-compound semiconductor with excellent optical and electrical properties, and has great potential applications in photo-catalysis, photoelectric, etc. We successfully synthesize BiOCl nanowire with a hierarchical structure by combining wet etch (top-down) with liquid phase crystal growth (bottom-up) process, opening a novel method to construct ordered bismuth-based nanostructures. The morphology and lattice structures of Bi nanowires, β-Bi 2 O 3 nanowires and BiOCl nanowires with the hierarchical structure are investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transition electron microscope (TEM). The formation mechanism of such ordered BiOCl hierarchical structure is considered to mainly originate from the highly preferred growth, which is governed by the lattice match between (1 1 0) facet of BiOCl and (2 2 0) or (0 0 2) facet of β-Bi 2 O 3 . A schematic model is also illustrated to depict the formation process of the ordered BiOCl hierarchical structure. In addition, Raman properties of the BiOCl nanowire with the hierarchical structure are investigated deeply.

Hierarchical structure in the distribution of galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulman, L.S.; Seiden, P.E.; Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa; IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY)

1986-01-01

The distribution of galaxies has a hierarchical structure with power-law correlations. This is usually thought to arise from gravity alone acting on an originally uniform distributioon. If, however, the original process of galaxy formation occurs through the stimulated birth of one galaxy due to a nearby recently formed galaxy, and if this process occurs near its percolation threshold, then a hierarchical structure with power-law correlations arises at the time of galaxy formation. If subsequent gravitational evolution within an expanding cosmology is such as to retain power-law correlations, the initial r exp -1 dropoff can steepen to the observed r exp -1.8. The distribution of galaxies obtained by this process produces clustering and voids, as observed. 23 references

Hierarchical structure graphitic-like/MoS2 film as superlubricity material

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Zhenbin; Jia, Xiaolong; Ma, Wei; Zhang, Bin; Zhang, Junyan

2017-08-01

Friction and wear result in a great amount of energy loss and the invalidation of mechanical parts, thus it is necessary to minimize friction in practical application. In this study, the graphitic-like/MoS2 films with hierarchical structure were synthesized by the combination of pulse current plasma chemical-vapor deposition and medium frequency unbalanced magnetron sputtering in preheated environment. This hierarchical structure composite with multilayer nano sheets endows the films excellent tribological performance, which easily achieves macro superlubricity (friction coefficient ∼0.004) under humid air. Furthermore, it is expected that hierarchical structure of graphitic-like/MoS2 films could match the requirements of large scale, high bear-capacity and wear-resistance of actual working conditions, which could be widely used in the industrial production as a promising superlubricity material.

Analyzing security protocols in hierarchical networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Ye; Nielson, Hanne Riis

2006-01-01

Validating security protocols is a well-known hard problem even in a simple setting of a single global network. But a real network often consists of, besides the public-accessed part, several sub-networks and thereby forms a hierarchical structure. In this paper we first present a process calculus...... capturing the characteristics of hierarchical networks and describe the behavior of protocols on such networks. We then develop a static analysis to automate the validation. Finally we demonstrate how the technique can benefit the protocol development and the design of network systems by presenting a series...

Lasers in chemical processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, J.I.

1982-01-01

The high cost of laser energy is the crucial issue in any potential laser-processing application. It is expensive relative to other forms of energy and to most bulk chemicals. We show those factors that have previously frustrated attempts to find commercially viable laser-induced processes for the production of materials. Having identified the general criteria to be satisfied by an economically successful laser process and shown how these imply the laser-system requirements, we present a status report on the uranium laser isotope separation (LIS) program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

In-situ preparation of Fe2O3 hierarchical arrays on stainless steel substrate for high efficient catalysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Zeheng; Wang, Kun; Shao, Zongming; Tian, Yuan; Chen, Gongde; Wang, Kai; Chen, Zhangxian; Dou, Yan; Zhang, Weixin

2017-01-01

Hierarchical array catalysts with micro/nano structures on substrates not only possess high reactivity from large surface area and suitable interface, but intensify mass transfer through shortening the diffusion paths of both reactants and products for high catalytic efficiency. Herein, we first demonstrate fabrication of Fe 2 O 3 hierarchical arrays grown on stainless-steel substrates via in-situ hydrothermal chemical oxidation followed by heat treatment in N 2 atmosphere. As a Fenton-like catalyst, Fe 2 O 3 hierarchical arrays exhibit excellent catalytic activity and life cycle performance for methylene blue (MB) dye degradation in aqueous solution in the presence of H 2 O 2 . The Fe 2 O 3 catalyst with unique hierarchical structures and efficient transport channels, effectively activates H 2 O 2 to generate large quantity of • OH radicals and highly promotes reaction kinetics between MB and • OH radicals. Immobilization of hierarchical array catalysts on stainless-steel can prevent particles agglomeration, facilitate the recovery and reuse of the catalysts, which is expected promising applications in wastewater remediation. - Graphical abstract: The in-situ synthesis of Fe 2 O 3 hierarchical arrays on stainless-steel substrates was reported for the first time, which exhibit excellent catalytic activity performance for methylene blue (MB) dye degradation in aqueous solution in the presence of H 2 O 2 . - Highlights: • Fe 2 O 3 hierarchical arrays was prepared by in-situ hydrothermal chemical oxidation. • F − ions play an important role in the formation of the Fe 2 O 3 hierarchical arrays. • Fe 2 O 3 hierarchical arrays show high catalytic activity to methylene blue degradation.

Improving satellite-based PM2.5 estimates in China using Gaussian processes modeling in a Bayesian hierarchical setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Wenxi; Liu, Yang; Ma, Zongwei; Bi, Jun

2017-08-01

Using satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements and statistical models to estimate ground-level PM 2.5 is a promising way to fill the areas that are not covered by ground PM 2.5 monitors. The statistical models used in previous studies are primarily Linear Mixed Effects (LME) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models. In this study, we developed a new regression model between PM 2.5 and AOD using Gaussian processes in a Bayesian hierarchical setting. Gaussian processes model the stochastic nature of the spatial random effects, where the mean surface and the covariance function is specified. The spatial stochastic process is incorporated under the Bayesian hierarchical framework to explain the variation of PM 2.5 concentrations together with other factors, such as AOD, spatial and non-spatial random effects. We evaluate the results of our model and compare them with those of other, conventional statistical models (GWR and LME) by within-sample model fitting and out-of-sample validation (cross validation, CV). The results show that our model possesses a CV result (R 2  = 0.81) that reflects higher accuracy than that of GWR and LME (0.74 and 0.48, respectively). Our results indicate that Gaussian process models have the potential to improve the accuracy of satellite-based PM 2.5 estimates.

Anisotropic and Hierarchical Porosity in Multifunctional Ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Lichtner, Aaron Zev

The performance of multifunctional porous ceramics is often hindered by the seemingly contradictory effects of porosity on both mechanical and non-structural properties and yet a sufficient body of knowledge linking microstructure to these properties does not exist. Using a combination of tailored anisotropic and hierarchical materials, these disparate effects may be reconciled. In this project, a systematic investigation of the processing, characterization and properties of anisotropic and isotropic hierarchically porous ceramics was conducted. The system chosen was a composite ceramic intended as the cathode for a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Comprehensive processing investigations led to the development of approaches to make hierarchical, anisotropic porous microstructures using directional freeze-casting of well dispersed slurries. The effect of all the important processing parameters was investigated. This resulted in an ability to tailor and control the important microstructural features including the scale of the microstructure, the macropore size and total porosity. Comparable isotropic porous ceramics were also processed using fugitive pore formers. A suite of characterization techniques including x-ray tomography and 3-D sectional scanning electron micrographs (FIB-SEM) was used to characterize and quantify the green and partially sintered microstructures. The effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure was quantified and discrete element simulations (DEM) were used to explain the experimental observations. Finally, the comprehensive mechanical properties, at room temperature, were investigated, experimentally and using DEM, for the different microstructures.

Hierarchical carbon nanopetal/polypyrrole nanocomposite electrodes with brush-like architecture for supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherusseri, Jayesh; Kar, Kamal K

2016-03-28

Hierarchical 3D nanocomposite electrodes with tube brush-like morphology are synthesized by electrochemically depositing polypyrrole (PPY) on carbon nanopetal (CNP) coated carbon fibers (CFs). Initially CNPs are synthesized on CF substrate by chemical vapour deposition. The CNPs synthesized on CF (CNPCF) are further used as an electrically conducting large surface area bearing template for the electropolymerization of PPY in order to fabricate CNPCF-PPY nanocomposite electrodes for supercapacitors (SCs). The CF in CNPCF-PPY nanocomposite functions as (i) a mechanical support for the CNPs, (ii) a current collector for the SC cell and also (iii) to prevent the agglomeration of CNPs within the CNPCF-PPY nanocomposite. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used to examine the surface morphology of CNPCF-PPY nanocomposites. The chemical structure of the nanocomposites is analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to understand the chemical bonding states of the hierarchical CNPCF-PPY nanocomposites. The electrochemical properties of symmetric type CNPCF-PPY SC cells are examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements. The hierarchical CNPCF-PPY SC exhibits a maximum gravimetric capacitance of 280.4 F g(-1) and an area specific capacitance of 210.3 mF cm(-2) at a current density of 0.42 mA cm(-2). The CNPCF-PPY SC cell exhibits good cycling stability of more than 5000 cycles. The present study proclaims the development of a novel lightweight SC with high-performance.

Construction of mammographic examination process ontology using bottom-up hierarchical task analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yagahara, Ayako; Yokooka, Yuki; Jiang, Guoqian; Tsuji, Shintarou; Fukuda, Akihisa; Nishimoto, Naoki; Kurowarabi, Kunio; Ogasawara, Katsuhiko

2018-03-01

Describing complex mammography examination processes is important for improving the quality of mammograms. It is often difficult for experienced radiologic technologists to explain the process because their techniques depend on their experience and intuition. In our previous study, we analyzed the process using a new bottom-up hierarchical task analysis and identified key components of the process. Leveraging the results of the previous study, the purpose of this study was to construct a mammographic examination process ontology to formally describe the relationships between the process and image evaluation criteria to improve the quality of mammograms. First, we identified and created root classes: task, plan, and clinical image evaluation (CIE). Second, we described an "is-a" relation referring to the result of the previous study and the structure of the CIE. Third, the procedural steps in the ontology were described using the new properties: "isPerformedBefore," "isPerformedAfter," and "isPerformedAfterIfNecessary." Finally, the relationships between tasks and CIEs were described using the "isAffectedBy" property to represent the influence of the process on image quality. In total, there were 219 classes in the ontology. By introducing new properties related to the process flow, a sophisticated mammography examination process could be visualized. In relationships between tasks and CIEs, it became clear that the tasks affecting the evaluation criteria related to positioning were greater in number than those for image quality. We developed a mammographic examination process ontology that makes knowledge explicit for a comprehensive mammography process. Our research will support education and help promote knowledge sharing about mammography examination expertise.

Hierarchical auditory processing directed rostrally along the monkey's supratemporal plane.

Science.gov (United States)

Kikuchi, Yukiko; Horwitz, Barry; Mishkin, Mortimer

2010-09-29

Connectional anatomical evidence suggests that the auditory core, containing the tonotopic areas A1, R, and RT, constitutes the first stage of auditory cortical processing, with feedforward projections from core outward, first to the surrounding auditory belt and then to the parabelt. Connectional evidence also raises the possibility that the core itself is serially organized, with feedforward projections from A1 to R and with additional projections, although of unknown feed direction, from R to RT. We hypothesized that area RT together with more rostral parts of the supratemporal plane (rSTP) form the anterior extension of a rostrally directed stimulus quality processing stream originating in the auditory core area A1. Here, we analyzed auditory responses of single neurons in three different sectors distributed caudorostrally along the supratemporal plane (STP): sector I, mainly area A1; sector II, mainly area RT; and sector III, principally RTp (the rostrotemporal polar area), including cortex located 3 mm from the temporal tip. Mean onset latency of excitation responses and stimulus selectivity to monkey calls and other sounds, both simple and complex, increased progressively from sector I to III. Also, whereas cells in sector I responded with significantly higher firing rates to the "other" sounds than to monkey calls, those in sectors II and III responded at the same rate to both stimulus types. The pattern of results supports the proposal that the STP contains a rostrally directed, hierarchically organized auditory processing stream, with gradually increasing stimulus selectivity, and that this stream extends from the primary auditory area to the temporal pole.

Renewable Wood Pulp Paper Reactor with Hierarchical Micro/Nanopores for Continuous-Flow Nanocatalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Koga, Hirotaka; Namba, Naoko; Takahashi, Tsukasa; Nogi, Masaya; Nishina, Yuta

2017-06-22

Continuous-flow nanocatalysis based on metal nanoparticle catalyst-anchored flow reactors has recently provided an excellent platform for effective chemical manufacturing. However, there has been limited progress in porous structure design and recycling systems for metal nanoparticle-anchored flow reactors to create more efficient and sustainable catalytic processes. In this study, traditional paper is used for a highly efficient, recyclable, and even renewable flow reactor by tailoring the ultrastructures of wood pulp. The "paper reactor" offers hierarchically interconnected micro- and nanoscale pores, which can act as convective-flow and rapid-diffusion channels, respectively, for efficient access of reactants to metal nanoparticle catalysts. In continuous-flow, aqueous, room-temperature catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-anchored paper reactor with hierarchical micro/nanopores provided higher reaction efficiency than state-of-the-art AuNP-anchored flow reactors. Inspired by traditional paper materials, successful recycling and renewal of AuNP-anchored paper reactors were also demonstrated while high reaction efficiency was maintained. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

One-process fabrication of metal hierarchical nanostructures with rich nanogaps for highly-sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Gui-qiang; Yu, Mei-dong; Liu, Zheng-qi; Liu, Xiao-shan; Huang, Shan; Pan, Ping-ping; Wang, Yan; Liu, Mu-lin; Gu, Gang

2015-01-01

One-process fabrication of highly active and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates via ion beam deposition is reported. The fabricated metal–dielectric–metal (MDM) hierarchical nanostructure possesses rich nanogaps and a tunable resonant cavity. Raman scattering signals of analytes are dramatically strengthened due to the strong near-field coupling of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and the strong interaction of LSPRs of metal NPs with surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on the underlying metal film by crossing over the dielectric spacer. The maximum Raman enhancement for the highest Raman peak at 1650 cm −1 is 13.5 times greater than that of a single metal nanoparticle (NP) array. Moreover, the SERS activity can be efficiently tailored by varying the size and number of voids between adjacent metal NPs and the thickness of the dielectric spacer. These findings may broaden the scope of SERS applications of MDM hierarchical nanostructures in biomedical and analytical chemistry. (paper)

Chemical reagent and process for refuse disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somerville, R.B.; Fan, L.T.

1989-01-01

A process for treating refuse by mixing them with a reactive chemical and a puzzolana-type material. Said chemical includes a retarding agent which modifies the viscosity and an accelerating agent. (author)

Superhydrophobic surface based on a coral-like hierarchical structure of ZnO.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Wu

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces has attracted much interest in the past decade. The fabrication methods that have been studied are chemical vapour deposition, the sol-gel method, etching technique, electrochemical deposition, the layer-by-layer deposition, and so on. Simple and inexpensive methods for manufacturing environmentally stable superhydrophobic surfaces have also been proposed lately. However, work referring to the influence of special structures on the wettability, such as hierarchical ZnO nanostructures, is rare.This study presents a simple and reproducible method to fabricate a superhydrophobic surface with micro-scale roughness based on zinc oxide (ZnO hierarchical structure, which is grown by the hydrothermal method with an alkaline aqueous solution. Coral-like structures of ZnO were fabricated on a glass substrate with a micro-scale roughness, while the antennas of the coral formed the nano-scale roughness. The fresh ZnO films exhibited excellent superhydrophilicity (the apparent contact angle for water droplet was about 0°, while the ability to be wet could be changed to superhydrophobicity after spin-coating Teflon (the apparent contact angle greater than 168°. The procedure reported here can be applied to substrates consisting of other materials and having various shapes.The new process is convenient and environmentally friendly compared to conventional methods. Furthermore, the hierarchical structure generates the extraordinary solid/gas/liquid three-phase contact interface, which is the essential characteristic for a superhydrophobic surface.

MRI of chemical reactions and processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Britton, Melanie M

2017-08-01

As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can spatially resolve a wealth of molecular information available from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), it is able to non-invasively visualise the composition, properties and reactions of a broad range of spatially-heterogeneous molecular systems. Hence, MRI is increasingly finding applications in the study of chemical reactions and processes in a diverse range of environments and technologies. This article will explain the basic principles of MRI and how it can be used to visualise chemical composition and molecular properties, providing an overview of the variety of information available. Examples are drawn from the disciplines of chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental science, physics, electrochemistry and materials science. The review introduces a range of techniques used to produce image contrast, along with the chemical and molecular insight accessible through them. Methods for mapping the distribution of chemical species, using chemical shift imaging or spatially-resolved spectroscopy, are reviewed, as well as methods for visualising physical state, temperature, current density, flow velocities and molecular diffusion. Strategies for imaging materials with low signal intensity, such as those containing gases or low sensitivity nuclei, using compressed sensing, para-hydrogen or polarisation transfer, are discussed. Systems are presented which encapsulate the diversity of chemical and physical parameters observable by MRI, including one- and two-phase flow in porous media, chemical pattern formation, phase transformations and hydrodynamic (fingering) instabilities. Lastly, the emerging area of electrochemical MRI is discussed, with studies presented on the visualisation of electrochemical deposition and dissolution processes during corrosion and the operation of batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials prepared from meta-aminophenol formaldehyde resin for supercapacitor with high rate performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Jin; Zhang, Zhongshen; Xing, Wei; Yu, Jing; Han, Guoxing; Si, Weijiang; Zhuo, Shuping

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: N-doped hierarchical porous carbons with high rate capacitive performance are prepared by a combination method of nano-SiO 2 template/KOH activation. - Highlights: • A mass produced nano-SiO 2 is used to prepared hierarchical porous carbon. • N-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials are easily prepared. • The NHPCs materials exhibit a very high capacitance of up to 260.5 F g −1 . • The NHPC-800 sample shows very high rate capability. • Hierarchical porosity and N-doping synergistically enhances the whole capacitance. - Abstract: In this work, nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials (NHPCs) are prepared by a two-step method combined of a hard template process and KOH-activation treatment. Low cost and large-scale commercial nano-SiO 2 are used as a hard template. The hierarchical porosity, structure and nitrogen-doped surface chemical properties are proved by a varies of means, such as scanning electron microscopy, transition electron microscopy, N 2 sorption, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When the prepared NHPCs materials are used as the electrode materials for supercapacitors in KOH electrolyte, they exhibit very high specific capacitance, good power capability and excellent cyclic stability. NHPC-800 carbon shows a high capacitance of 114.0 F g −1 at the current density of 40 A g −1 , responding to a high energy and power densities of 4.0 Wh kg −1 and 10 000 W kg −1 , and a very short drain time of 1.4 s. The excellent capacitive performance may be due to the synergistic effect of the hierarchical porosity, high effective surface area and heteroatom doping, resulting in both electrochemical double layer and Faradaic capacitance contributions

Low temperature radio-chemical energy conversion processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomberg, H.J.

1986-01-01

This patent describes a radio-chemical method of converting radiated energy into chemical energy form comprising the steps of: (a) establishing a starting chemical compound in the liquid phase that chemically reacts endothermically to radiation and heat energy to produce a gaseous and a solid constituent of the compound, (b) irradiating the compound in its liquid phase free of solvents to chemically release therefrom in response to the radiation the gaseous and solid constituents, (c) physically separating the solid and gaseous phase constituents from the liquid, and (d) chemically processing the constituents to recover therefrom energy stored therein by the irradiation step (b)

Hierarchical effects on target detection and conflict monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Bihua; Gao, Feng; Ren, Maofang; Li, Fuhong

2016-01-01

Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated a hierarchical functional structure of the frontal cortices of the human brain, but the temporal course and the electrophysiological signature of the hierarchical representation remains unaddressed. In the present study, twenty-one volunteers were asked to perform a nested cue-target task, while their scalp potentials were recorded. The results showed that: (1) in comparison with the lower-level hierarchical targets, the higher-level targets elicited a larger N2 component (220–350 ms) at the frontal sites, and a smaller P3 component (350–500 ms) across the frontal and parietal sites; (2) conflict-related negativity (non-target minus target) was greater for the lower-level hierarchy than the higher-level, reflecting a more intensive process of conflict monitoring at the final step of target detection. These results imply that decision making, context updating, and conflict monitoring differ among different hierarchical levels of abstraction. PMID:27561989

Hierarchical machining materials and their performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sidorenko, Daria; Loginov, Pavel; Levashov, Evgeny

2016-01-01

as nanoparticles in the binder, or polycrystalline, aggregate-like reinforcements, also at several scale levels). Such materials can ensure better productivity, efficiency, and lower costs of drilling, cutting, grinding, and other technological processes. This article reviews the main groups of hierarchical...

Recent advances of pore system construction in zeolite-catalyzed chemical industry processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jing; Wang, Yangdong; Yang, Weimin; Tang, Yi; Xie, Zaiku

2015-12-21

The kaleidoscopic applications of zeolite catalysts (zeo-catalysts) in petrochemical processes has been considered as one of the major accomplishments in recent decades. About twenty types of zeolite have been industrially applied so far, and their versatile porous architectures have contributed their most essential features to affect the catalytic efficiency. This review depicts the evolution of pore models in zeolite catalysts accompanied by the increase in industrial and environmental demands. The indispensable roles of modulating pore models are outlined for zeo-catalysts for the enhancement of their catalytic performances in various industrial processes. The zeolites and related industrial processes discussed range from the uni-modal micropore system of zeolite Y (12-ring micropore, 12-R) in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), zeolite ZSM-5 (10-R) in xylene isomerization and SAPO-34 (8-R) in olefin production to the multi-modal micropore system of MCM-22 (10-R and 12-R pocket) in aromatic alkylation and the hierarchical pores in FCC and catalytic cracking of C4 olefins. The rational construction of pore models, especially hierarchical features, is highlighted with a careful classification from an industrial perspective accompanied by a detailed analysis of the theoretical mechanisms.

Hierarchical control of a nuclear reactor using uncertain dynamics techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rovere, L.A.; Otaduy, P.J.; Brittain, C.R.; Perez, R.B.

1988-01-01

Recent advances in the nonlinear optimal control area are opening new possibilities towards its implementation in process control. Algorithms for multivariate control, hierarchical decomposition, parameter tracking, model uncertainties actuator saturation effects and physical limits to state variables can be implemented on the basis of a consistent mathematical formulation. In this paper, good agreement is shown between a centralized and a hierarchical implementation of a controller for a hypothetical nuclear power plant subject to multiple demands. The performance of the hierarchical distributed system in the presence of localized subsystem failures is analyzed. 4 refs., 13 figs

A three-dimensional hierarchical collagen scaffold fabricated by a combined solid freeform fabrication (SFF) and electrospinning process to enhance mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, SeungHyun; Kim, GeunHyung; Koh, Young Ho

2010-01-01

Collagen has the advantage of being very similar to macromolecular substances that can be recognized and metabolized in the biological environment. Although the natural material has superior property for this purpose, its use to fabricate reproducible and pore-structure-controlled 3D structures, which are designed to allow the entry of sufficient cells and the easy diffusion of nutrients, has been limited due to its low processability. Here, we propose a hybrid technology that combines a cryogenic plotting system with an electrospinning process. Using this technique, an easily pore-size-controllable hierarchical 3D scaffold consisting of micro-sized highly porous collagen strands and micro/nano-sized collagen fibers was fabricated. The pore structure of the collagen scaffold was controlled by the collagen micro/nanofibers, which were layered in the scaffold. The hierarchical scaffolds were characterized with respect to initial cell attachment and proliferation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells within the scaffolds. The hierarchical scaffold exhibited incredibly enhanced initial cell attachment and cell compactness between pores of the plotted scaffold relative to the normally designed 3D collagen scaffold.

Hybrid and hierarchical composite materials

CERN Document Server

Kim, Chang-Soo; Sano, Tomoko

2015-01-01

This book addresses a broad spectrum of areas in both hybrid materials and hierarchical composites, including recent development of processing technologies, structural designs, modern computer simulation techniques, and the relationships between the processing-structure-property-performance. Each topic is introduced at length with numerous  and detailed examples and over 150 illustrations.   In addition, the authors present a method of categorizing these materials, so that representative examples of all material classes are discussed.

Book of abstracts Chemical Engineering: IV All-Russian Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian Youth Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian school on chemical engineering for young scientists and specialists. Chemical engineering of nanomaterials. Energy- and resource-saving chemical-engineering processes and problems of their intensification. Processes and apparatuses of chemical engineering, chemical cybernetics. Ecological problems of chemical engineering and related fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakhodyaeva, Yu.A.; Belova, V.V.

2012-01-01

In the given volume of abstracts of the IV All-Russian Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian Youth Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian school on chemical engineering for young scientists and specialists (Moscow, March 18-23, 2012) there are the abstracts of the reports concerning chemical engineering of nanomaterials, energy- and resource-saving chemical-engineering processes, processes and apparatuses of chemical engineering, chemical cybernetics, ecological problems of chemical engineering and related fields. The abstracts deal with state-of-the-art and future development of theoretical and experimental investigations as well as with experience in practical realization of development works in the field of chemical engineering and relative areas [ru

Chemicals Industry New Process Chemistry Roadmap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2000-08-01

The Materials Technology I workshop was held in November 1998 to address future research needs for materials technology that will support the chemical industry. Areas covered included disassembly, recovery, reuse and renewable technology; new materials; and materials measurement and characterization. The Materials Technology II workshop was held in September 1999 and covered additives, modeling and prediction and an additional segment on new materials. Materials Technology Institute (MTI) for the Chemical Process Industries, Inc. and Air Products & Chemicals lead the workshops. The Materials Technology Roadmap presents the results from both workshops.

Facile synthesis and photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide hierarchical microcrystals

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xinjiang

2013-04-04

ZnO microcrystals with hierarchical structure have been synthesized by a simple solvothermal approach. The microcrystals were studied by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Research on the formation mechanism of the hierarchical microstructure shows that the coordination solvent and precursor concentration have considerable influence on the size and morphology of the microstructures. A possible formation mechanism of the hierarchical structure was suggested. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of the ZnO microcrystals was studied by treating low concentration Rhodamine B (RhB) solution under UV light, and research results show the hierarchical microstructures of ZnO display high catalytic activity in photocatalysis, the catalysis process follows first-order reaction kinetics, and the apparent rate constant k = 0.03195 min-1.

Bayesian nonparametric hierarchical modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunson, David B

2009-04-01

In biomedical research, hierarchical models are very widely used to accommodate dependence in multivariate and longitudinal data and for borrowing of information across data from different sources. A primary concern in hierarchical modeling is sensitivity to parametric assumptions, such as linearity and normality of the random effects. Parametric assumptions on latent variable distributions can be challenging to check and are typically unwarranted, given available prior knowledge. This article reviews some recent developments in Bayesian nonparametric methods motivated by complex, multivariate and functional data collected in biomedical studies. The author provides a brief review of flexible parametric approaches relying on finite mixtures and latent class modeling. Dirichlet process mixture models are motivated by the need to generalize these approaches to avoid assuming a fixed finite number of classes. Focusing on an epidemiology application, the author illustrates the practical utility and potential of nonparametric Bayes methods.

* Hierarchically Structured Electrospun Scaffolds with Chemically Conjugated Growth Factor for Ligament Tissue Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Pauly, Hannah M; Sathy, Binulal N; Olvera, Dinorath; McCarthy, Helen O; Kelly, Daniel J; Popat, Ketul C; Dunne, Nicholas J; Haut Donahue, Tammy Lynn

2017-08-01

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee is vital for proper joint function and is commonly ruptured during sports injuries or car accidents. Due to a lack of intrinsic healing capacity and drawbacks with allografts and autografts, there is a need for a tissue-engineered ACL replacement. Our group has previously used aligned sheets of electrospun polycaprolactone nanofibers to develop solid cylindrical bundles of longitudinally aligned nanofibers. We have shown that these nanofiber bundles support cell proliferation and elongation and the hierarchical structure and material properties are similar to the native human ACL. It is possible to combine multiple nanofiber bundles to create a scaffold that attempts to mimic the macroscale structure of the ACL. The goal of this work was to develop a hierarchical bioactive scaffold for ligament tissue engineering using connective tissue growth factor (CTGF)-conjugated nanofiber bundles and evaluate the behavior of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on these scaffolds in vitro and in vivo. CTGF was immobilized onto the surface of individual nanofiber bundles or scaffolds consisting of multiple nanofiber bundles. The conjugation efficiency and the release of conjugated CTGF were assessed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, assays, and immunofluorescence staining. Scaffolds were seeded with MSCs and maintained in vitro for 7 days (individual nanofiber bundles), in vitro for 21 days (scaled-up scaffolds of 20 nanofiber bundles), or in vivo for 6 weeks (small scaffolds of 4 nanofiber bundles), and ligament-specific tissue formation was assessed in comparison to non-CTGF-conjugated control scaffolds. Results showed that CTGF conjugation encouraged cell proliferation and ligament-specific tissue formation in vitro and in vivo. The results suggest that hierarchical electrospun nanofiber bundles conjugated with CTGF are a scalable and bioactive scaffold for ACL tissue engineering.

Stereodynamics: From elementary processes to macroscopic chemical reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kasai, Toshio [Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Osaka University, Toyonaka, 560-0043 Osaka (Japan); Che, Dock-Chil [Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Osaka University, Toyonaka, 560-0043 Osaka (Japan); Tsai, Po-Yu [Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Department of Chemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Lin, King-Chuen [Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Palazzetti, Federico [Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa (Italy); Dipartimento di Chimica Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Perugia, 06123 Perugia (Italy); Aquilanti, Vincenzo [Dipartimento di Chimica Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Perugia, 06123 Perugia (Italy); Istituto di Struttura della Materia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Roma (Italy); Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador (Brazil)

2015-12-31

This paper aims at discussing new facets on stereodynamical behaviors in chemical reactions, i.e. the effects of molecular orientation and alignment on reactive processes. Further topics on macroscopic processes involving deviations from Arrhenius behavior in the temperature dependence of chemical reactions and chirality effects in collisions are also discussed.

Reflow process stabilization by chemical characteristics and process conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Myoung-Soo; Park, Jeong-Hyun; Kim, Hak-Joon; Kim, Il-Hyung; Jeon, Jae-Ha; Gil, Myung-Goon; Kim, Bong-Ho

2002-07-01

With the shrunken device rule below 130nm, the patterning of smaller contact hole with enough process margin is required for mass production. Therefore, shrinking technology using thermal reflow process has been applied for smaller contact hole formation. In this paper, we have investigated the effects of chemical characteristics such as molecular weight, blocking ratio of resin, cross-linker amount and solvent type with its composition to reflow process of resist and found the optimized chemical composition for reflow process applicable condition. And several process conditions like resist coating thickness and multi-step thermal reflow method have been also evaluated to stabilize the pattern profile and improve CD uniformity after reflow process. From the experiment results, it was confirmed that the effect of crosslinker in resist to reflow properties such as reflow temperature and reflow rate were very critical and it controlled the pattern profile during reflow processing. And also, it showed stable CD uniformity and improved resist properties for top loss, film shrinkage and etch selectivity. The application of lower coating thickness of resist induced symmetric pattern profile even at edge with wider process margin. The introduction of two-step baking method for reflow process showed uniform CD value, also. It is believed that the application of resist containing crosslinker and optimized process conditions for smaller contact hole patterning is necessary for the mass production with a design rule below 130nm.

Dielectric study on hierarchical water structures restricted in cement and wood materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Fumiya; Nishi, Akihiro; Saito, Hironobu; Asano, Megumi; Watanabe, Seiei; Kita, Rio; Shinyashiki, Naoki; Yagihara, Shin; Fukuzaki, Minoru; Sudo, Seiichi; Suzuki, Youki

2017-01-01

Dielectric relaxation processes for mortar observed by broadband dielectric spectroscopy were analyzed in the drying and hydration processes for an aging sample in the frequency region from 1 MHz up to 2 MHz. At least two processes for structured water in the kHz frequency region and another mHz relaxation process affected by ionic behaviors were observed. Comparison of the relaxation parameters obtained for the drying and hydration processes suggests an existence of hierarchical water structures in the exchange of water molecules, which are originally exchanged from free water observed at around 20 GHz. The water molecules reflected in the lower frequency process of the two kHz relaxation processes are more restricted and take more homogeneous structures than the higher kHz relaxation process. These structured water usually hidden in large ionic behaviors for wood samples was observed by electrodes covered by a thin Teflon film, and hierarchical water structures were also suggested for wood samples. Dielectric spectroscopy technique is an effective tool to analyze the new concept of hierarchical water structures in complex materials. (paper)

Process Security in Chemical Engineering Education

Science.gov (United States)

Piluso, Cristina; Uygun, Korkut; Huang, Yinlun; Lou, Helen H.

2005-01-01

The threats of terrorism have greatly alerted the chemical process industries to assure plant security at all levels: infrastructure-improvement-focused physical security, information-protection-focused cyber security, and design-and-operation-improvement-focused process security. While developing effective plant security methods and technologies…

Hierarchical Network Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomadsen, Tommy

2005-01-01

Communication networks are immensely important today, since both companies and individuals use numerous services that rely on them. This thesis considers the design of hierarchical (communication) networks. Hierarchical networks consist of layers of networks and are well-suited for coping...... with changing and increasing demands. Two-layer networks consist of one backbone network, which interconnects cluster networks. The clusters consist of nodes and links, which connect the nodes. One node in each cluster is a hub node, and the backbone interconnects the hub nodes of each cluster and thus...... the clusters. The design of hierarchical networks involves clustering of nodes, hub selection, and network design, i.e. selection of links and routing of ows. Hierarchical networks have been in use for decades, but integrated design of these networks has only been considered for very special types of networks...

Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling of Fluid-Induced Seismicity

Science.gov (United States)

Broccardo, M.; Mignan, A.; Wiemer, S.; Stojadinovic, B.; Giardini, D.

2017-11-01

In this study, we present a Bayesian hierarchical framework to model fluid-induced seismicity. The framework is based on a nonhomogeneous Poisson process with a fluid-induced seismicity rate proportional to the rate of injected fluid. The fluid-induced seismicity rate model depends upon a set of physically meaningful parameters and has been validated for six fluid-induced case studies. In line with the vision of hierarchical Bayesian modeling, the rate parameters are considered as random variables. We develop both the Bayesian inference and updating rules, which are used to develop a probabilistic forecasting model. We tested the Basel 2006 fluid-induced seismic case study to prove that the hierarchical Bayesian model offers a suitable framework to coherently encode both epistemic uncertainty and aleatory variability. Moreover, it provides a robust and consistent short-term seismic forecasting model suitable for online risk quantification and mitigation.

A comparative analysis of global and local processing of hierarchical visual stimuli in young children (Homo sapiens) and monkeys (Cebus apella).

Science.gov (United States)

De Lillo, Carlo; Spinozzi, Giovanna; Truppa, Valentina; Naylor, Donna M

2005-05-01

Results obtained with preschool children (Homo sapiens) were compared with results previously obtained from capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) in matching-to-sample tasks featuring hierarchical visual stimuli. In Experiment 1, monkeys, in contrast with children, showed an advantage in matching the stimuli on the basis of their local features. These results were replicated in a 2nd experiment in which control trials enabled the authors to rule out that children used spurious cues to solve the matching task. In a 3rd experiment featuring conditions in which the density of the stimuli was manipulated, monkeys' accuracy in the processing of the global shape of the stimuli was negatively affected by the separation of the local elements, whereas children's performance was robust across testing conditions. Children's response latencies revealed a global precedence in the 2nd and 3rd experiments. These results show differences in the processing of hierarchical stimuli by humans and monkeys that emerge early during childhood. 2005 APA, all rights reserved

Hierarchical Ag mesostructures for single particle SERS substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Minwei, E-mail: xuminwei@xjtu.edu.cn; Zhang, Yin

2017-01-30

Highlights: • Hierarchical Ag mesostructures with the size of 250, 360 and 500 nm are synthesized via a seed-mediated approach. • The Ag mesostructures present the tailorable size and highly roughened surfaces. • The average enhancement factors for individual Ag mesostructures were estimated to be as high as 10{sup 6}. - Abstract: Hierarchical Ag mesostructures with highly rough surface morphology have been synthesized at room temperature through a simple seed-mediated approach. Electron microscopy characterizations indicate that the obtained Ag mesostructures exhibit a textured surface morphology with the flower-like architecture. Moreover, the particle size can be tailored easily in the range of 250–500 nm. For the growth process of the hierarchical Ag mesostructures, it is believed that the self-assembly mechanism is more reasonable rather than the epitaxial overgrowth of Ag seed. The oriented attachment of nanoparticles is revealed during the formation of Ag mesostructures. Single particle surface enhanced Raman spectra (sp-SERS) of crystal violet adsorbed on the hierarchical Ag mesostructures were measured. Results reveal that the hierarchical Ag mesostructures can be highly sensitive sp-SERS substrates with good reproducibility. The average enhancement factors for individual Ag mesostructures are estimated to be about 10{sup 6}.

Quality Assessment of Film Processing Chemicals in Dentistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Mi Ra; Kang, Byung Chul

1999-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the qualities of the four different processing chemicals (solutions). With EP 21 films (Ektaspeed plus film, Kodak Co., USA), nine unexposed and nine exposed films of a step wedge were processed utilizing automatic film processor (XR 24, Durr Co., Germany) for 5 days. During 5 days, the total number of processed films including out-patient's intraoral films were about 400-500 for each brand. Base plus fog density, film density, contrast of processed films were measured with densitometer (model 07-443 digital densitometer, Victoreen Co., USA). These measurements were analyzed for comparison. The results were as follows,1. For the base plus fog density, there was significant difference among the four chemicals (p<0.05). The sequence of the base plus fog densities was in ascending order by Kodak, X-dol 90, Agfa and Konica. 2. For the film density, all chemicals showed useful range of photographic densities (0.25-2.5). The sequence of the film densities was in ascending order by Kodak, X-dol 90, Konica and Agfa. But there was no statistically significant difference of film density between X-dol and Kodak (p<0.05). 3. The sequence of the contrasts was in ascending order by Konica, X-dol 90, Kodak and Agfa. But there was no statistically significant difference of contrast between X-dol and Konica (p<0.05). These results indicated that the four processing chemicals had the clinically useful film density and contrast, but only Kodak processing chemical had useful base plus fog density.

Process Design and Evaluation for Chemicals Based on Renewable Resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fu, Wenjing

. In addition, another characteristic of chemicals based on renewable feedstocks is that many alternative technologies and possible routes exist, resulting in many possible process flowsheets. The challenge for process engineers is then to choose between possible process routes and alternative technologies...... development of chemicals based on renewable feedstocks. As an example, this thesis especially focuses on applying the methodology in process design and evaluation of the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from the renewable feedstock glucose/fructose. The selected example is part of the chemoenzymatic......One of the key steps in process design is choosing between alternative technologies, especially for processes producing bulk and commodity chemicals. Recently, driven by the increasing oil prices and diminishing reserves, the production of bulk and commodity chemicals from renewable feedstocks has...

Topology-based hierarchical scheduling using deficit round robin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yu, Hao; Yan, Ying; Berger, Michael Stubert

2009-01-01

according to the topology. The mapping process could be completed through the network management plane or by manual configuration. Based on the knowledge of the network, the scheduler can manage the traffic on behalf of other less advanced nodes, avoid potential traffic congestion, and provide flow...... protection and isolation. Comparisons between hierarchical scheduling, flow-based scheduling, and class-based scheduling schemes have been carried out under a symmetric tree topology. Results have shown that the hierarchical scheduling scheme provides better flow protection and isolation from attack...

In-situ preparation of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} hierarchical arrays on stainless steel substrate for high efficient catalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Zeheng, E-mail: zehengyang@hfut.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009 (China); Wang, Kun; Shao, Zongming; Tian, Yuan [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009 (China); Chen, Gongde [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Wang, Kai; Chen, Zhangxian; Dou, Yan [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009 (China); Zhang, Weixin, E-mail: wxzhang@hfut.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Key Laboratory of Controllable Chemical Reaction & Material Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009 (China)

2017-02-15

Hierarchical array catalysts with micro/nano structures on substrates not only possess high reactivity from large surface area and suitable interface, but intensify mass transfer through shortening the diffusion paths of both reactants and products for high catalytic efficiency. Herein, we first demonstrate fabrication of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} hierarchical arrays grown on stainless-steel substrates via in-situ hydrothermal chemical oxidation followed by heat treatment in N{sub 2} atmosphere. As a Fenton-like catalyst, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} hierarchical arrays exhibit excellent catalytic activity and life cycle performance for methylene blue (MB) dye degradation in aqueous solution in the presence of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. The Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst with unique hierarchical structures and efficient transport channels, effectively activates H{sub 2}O{sub 2} to generate large quantity of • OH radicals and highly promotes reaction kinetics between MB and • OH radicals. Immobilization of hierarchical array catalysts on stainless-steel can prevent particles agglomeration, facilitate the recovery and reuse of the catalysts, which is expected promising applications in wastewater remediation. - Graphical abstract: The in-situ synthesis of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} hierarchical arrays on stainless-steel substrates was reported for the first time, which exhibit excellent catalytic activity performance for methylene blue (MB) dye degradation in aqueous solution in the presence of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. - Highlights: • Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} hierarchical arrays was prepared by in-situ hydrothermal chemical oxidation. • F{sup −} ions play an important role in the formation of the Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} hierarchical arrays. • Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} hierarchical arrays show high catalytic activity to methylene blue degradation.

Environmentally benign chemical synthesis and processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hancock, K.G.

1992-01-01

A new era of university-industry-government partnership is required to address the intertwined problems of industrial economic competitiveness and environmental quality. Chemicals that go up the stacks and down the drains are simultaneously a serious detriment to the environment, a waste of natural resources, and a threat to industrial profitability. Recently, the NSF Divisions of Chemistry and chemical and Thermal Systems have joined with the Council for Chemical research in a new grant program to reduce pollution at the source by underwriting research aimed at environmentally benign chemical synthesis and processing. Part of a broader NSF initiative on environmental science research, this new program serves as a model for university-industry-government joint action and technology transfer. Other features of this program and related activities will be described in this paper

Energy conversion technology by chemical processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, I W; Yoon, K S; Cho, B W [Korea Inst. of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); and others

1996-12-01

The sharp increase in energy usage according to the industry development has resulted in deficiency of energy resources and severe pollution problems. Therefore, development of the effective way of energy usage and energy resources of low pollution is needed. Development of the energy conversion technology by chemical processes is also indispensable, which will replace the pollutant-producing and inefficient mechanical energy conversion technologies. Energy conversion technology by chemical processes directly converts chemical energy to electrical one, or converts heat energy to chemical one followed by heat storage. The technology includes batteries, fuel cells, and energy storage system. The are still many problems on performance, safety, and manufacturing of the secondary battery which is highly demanded in electronics, communication, and computer industries. To overcome these problems, key components such as carbon electrode, metal oxide electrode, and solid polymer electrolyte are developed in this study, followed by the fabrication of the lithium secondary battery. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell, as an advanced power generating apparatus with high efficiency, no pollution, and no noise, has many applications such as zero-emission vehicles, on-site power plants, and military purposes. After fabricating the cell components and operating the single cells, the fundamental technologies in polymer electrolyte fuel cell are established in this study. Energy storage technology provides the safe and regular heat energy, irrespective of the change of the heat energy sources, adjusts time gap between consumption and supply, and upgrades and concentrates low grade heat energy. In this study, useful chemical reactions for efficient storage and transport are investigated and the chemical heat storage technology are developed. (author) 41 refs., 90 figs., 20 tabs.

Detecting Hierarchical Structure in Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herlau, Tue; Mørup, Morten; Schmidt, Mikkel Nørgaard

2012-01-01

Many real-world networks exhibit hierarchical organization. Previous models of hierarchies within relational data has focused on binary trees; however, for many networks it is unknown whether there is hierarchical structure, and if there is, a binary tree might not account well for it. We propose...... a generative Bayesian model that is able to infer whether hierarchies are present or not from a hypothesis space encompassing all types of hierarchical tree structures. For efficient inference we propose a collapsed Gibbs sampling procedure that jointly infers a partition and its hierarchical structure....... On synthetic and real data we demonstrate that our model can detect hierarchical structure leading to better link-prediction than competing models. Our model can be used to detect if a network exhibits hierarchical structure, thereby leading to a better comprehension and statistical account the network....

A top-down approach for fabricating free-standing bio-carbon supercapacitor electrodes with a hierarchical structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yingzhi; Zhang, Qinghua; Zhang, Junxian; Jin, Lei; Zhao, Xin; Xu, Ting

2015-09-23

Biomass has delicate hierarchical structures, which inspired us to develop a cost-effective route to prepare electrode materials with rational nanostructures for use in high-performance storage devices. Here, we demonstrate a novel top-down approach for fabricating bio-carbon materials with stable structures and excellent diffusion pathways; this approach is based on carbonization with controlled chemical activation. The developed free-standing bio-carbon electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 204 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1); good rate capability, as indicated by the residual initial capacitance of 85.5% at 10 A g(-1); and a long cycle life. These performance characteristics are attributed to the outstanding hierarchical structures of the electrode material. Appropriate carbonization conditions enable the bio-carbon materials to inherit the inherent hierarchical texture of the original biomass, thereby facilitating effective channels for fast ion transfer. The macropores and mesopores that result from chemical activation significantly increase the specific surface area and also play the role of temporary ion-buffering reservoirs, further shortening the ionic diffusion distance.

A novel hierarchical ZnO disordered/ordered bilayer nanostructured film for dye sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Yamin, E-mail: yaminfengccnuphy@outlook.com; Wu, Fei; Jiang, Jian; Zhu, Jianhui; Fodjouong, Ghislain Joel; Meng, Gaoxiang; Xing, Yanmin; Wang, Wenwu; Huang, Xintang, E-mail: xthuang@phy.ccnu.edu.cn

2013-12-25

Graphical abstract: A novel hierarchical disordered/ordered bilayer ZnO nanostructured film in the length of 18 μm have been successfully synthesized on the FTO substrate; the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film electrodes applied in DSSCs exhibit photoelectric conversion efficiency as high as 5.16%. Highlights: •A novel hierarchical ZnO structure film was fabricated on a FTO substrate. •Hierarchical ZnO film is applied as the electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells. •The film possess high specific surface area and fast electron transport effect. •The light-scattering effect of the hierarchical film is pronounced. •The energy conversion efficiency of hierarchical ZnO electrode reaches to 5.16%. -- Abstract: A novel hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is synthesized via a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method followed by a treatment of thermal decomposition onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. This hierarchical film is composed of disordered ZnO nanorods (NRs) (top layer) and ordered ZnO nanowires (NWs) (bottom layer). The products possess the following features such as high specific surface area, fast electron transport, and pronounced light-scattering effect, which are quite suitable for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) applications. A light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 5.16% is achieved when the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is used as the photoanode under 100 mW cm{sup −2} illumination. This efficiency is found to be much higher than that of the DSSCs with pure ordered ZnO NWs (1.45%) and disordered ZnO NRs (3.31%) photoanodes.

A novel hierarchical ZnO disordered/ordered bilayer nanostructured film for dye sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Yamin; Wu, Fei; Jiang, Jian; Zhu, Jianhui; Fodjouong, Ghislain Joel; Meng, Gaoxiang; Xing, Yanmin; Wang, Wenwu; Huang, Xintang

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: A novel hierarchical disordered/ordered bilayer ZnO nanostructured film in the length of 18 μm have been successfully synthesized on the FTO substrate; the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film electrodes applied in DSSCs exhibit photoelectric conversion efficiency as high as 5.16%. Highlights: •A novel hierarchical ZnO structure film was fabricated on a FTO substrate. •Hierarchical ZnO film is applied as the electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells. •The film possess high specific surface area and fast electron transport effect. •The light-scattering effect of the hierarchical film is pronounced. •The energy conversion efficiency of hierarchical ZnO electrode reaches to 5.16%. -- Abstract: A novel hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is synthesized via a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method followed by a treatment of thermal decomposition onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. This hierarchical film is composed of disordered ZnO nanorods (NRs) (top layer) and ordered ZnO nanowires (NWs) (bottom layer). The products possess the following features such as high specific surface area, fast electron transport, and pronounced light-scattering effect, which are quite suitable for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) applications. A light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 5.16% is achieved when the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is used as the photoanode under 100 mW cm −2 illumination. This efficiency is found to be much higher than that of the DSSCs with pure ordered ZnO NWs (1.45%) and disordered ZnO NRs (3.31%) photoanodes

Hierarchical Multiple Markov Chain Model for Unsupervised Texture Segmentation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Scarpa, G.; Gaetano, R.; Haindl, Michal; Zerubia, J.

2009-01-01

Roč. 18, č. 8 (2009), s. 1830-1843 ISSN 1057-7149 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA102/08/0593 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 507752 - MUSCLE Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : Classification * texture analysis * segmentation * hierarchical image models * Markov process Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information Impact factor: 2.848, year: 2009 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2009/RO/haindl-hierarchical multiple markov chain model for unsupervised texture segmentation.pdf

Metamodeling Techniques to Aid in the Aggregation Process of Large Hierarchical Simulation Models

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Rodriguez, June F

2008-01-01

.... More specifically, investigating how to accurately aggregate hierarchical lower-level (higher resolution) models into the next higher-level in order to reduce the complexity of the overall simulation model...

A novel method for a multi-level hierarchical composite with brick-and-mortar structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, Kristina; Wolff, Michael F H; Salikov, Vitalij; Heinrich, Stefan; Schneider, Gerold A

2013-01-01

The fascination for hierarchically structured hard tissues such as enamel or nacre arises from their unique structure-properties-relationship. During the last decades this numerously motivated the synthesis of composites, mimicking the brick-and-mortar structure of nacre. However, there is still a lack in synthetic engineering materials displaying a true hierarchical structure. Here, we present a novel multi-step processing route for anisotropic 2-level hierarchical composites by combining different coating techniques on different length scales. It comprises polymer-encapsulated ceramic particles as building blocks for the first level, followed by spouted bed spray granulation for a second level, and finally directional hot pressing to anisotropically consolidate the composite. The microstructure achieved reveals a brick-and-mortar hierarchical structure with distinct, however not yet optimized mechanical properties on each level. It opens up a completely new processing route for the synthesis of multi-level hierarchically structured composites, giving prospects to multi-functional structure-properties relationships.

A novel method for a multi-level hierarchical composite with brick-and-mortar structure

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, Kristina; Wolff, Michael F. H.; Salikov, Vitalij; Heinrich, Stefan; Schneider, Gerold A.

2013-07-01

The fascination for hierarchically structured hard tissues such as enamel or nacre arises from their unique structure-properties-relationship. During the last decades this numerously motivated the synthesis of composites, mimicking the brick-and-mortar structure of nacre. However, there is still a lack in synthetic engineering materials displaying a true hierarchical structure. Here, we present a novel multi-step processing route for anisotropic 2-level hierarchical composites by combining different coating techniques on different length scales. It comprises polymer-encapsulated ceramic particles as building blocks for the first level, followed by spouted bed spray granulation for a second level, and finally directional hot pressing to anisotropically consolidate the composite. The microstructure achieved reveals a brick-and-mortar hierarchical structure with distinct, however not yet optimized mechanical properties on each level. It opens up a completely new processing route for the synthesis of multi-level hierarchically structured composites, giving prospects to multi-functional structure-properties relationships.

Rock fracture processes in chemically reactive environments

Science.gov (United States)

Eichhubl, P.

2015-12-01

Rock fracture is traditionally viewed as a brittle process involving damage nucleation and growth in a zone ahead of a larger fracture, resulting in fracture propagation once a threshold loading stress is exceeded. It is now increasingly recognized that coupled chemical-mechanical processes influence fracture growth in wide range of subsurface conditions that include igneous, metamorphic, and geothermal systems, and diagenetically reactive sedimentary systems with possible applications to hydrocarbon extraction and CO2 sequestration. Fracture processes aided or driven by chemical change can affect the onset of fracture, fracture shape and branching characteristics, and fracture network geometry, thus influencing mechanical strength and flow properties of rock systems. We are investigating two fundamental modes of chemical-mechanical interactions associated with fracture growth: 1. Fracture propagation may be aided by chemical dissolution or hydration reactions at the fracture tip allowing fracture propagation under subcritical stress loading conditions. We are evaluating effects of environmental conditions on critical (fracture toughness KIc) and subcritical (subcritical index) fracture properties using double torsion fracture mechanics tests on shale and sandstone. Depending on rock composition, the presence of reactive aqueous fluids can increase or decrease KIc and/or subcritical index. 2. Fracture may be concurrent with distributed dissolution-precipitation reactions in the hostrock beyond the immediate vicinity of the fracture tip. Reconstructing the fracture opening history recorded in crack-seal fracture cement of deeply buried sandstone we find that fracture length growth and fracture opening can be decoupled, with a phase of initial length growth followed by a phase of dominant fracture opening. This suggests that mechanical crack-tip failure processes, possibly aided by chemical crack-tip weakening, and distributed solution-precipitation creep in the

Method for innovative synthesis-design of chemical process flowsheets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kumar Tula, Anjan; Gani, Rafiqul

Chemical process synthesis-design involve the identification of the processing route to reach a desired product from a specified set of raw materials, design of the operations involved in the processing route, the calculations of utility requirements, the calculations of waste and emission...... to the surrounding and many more. Different methods (knowledge-based [1], mathematical programming [2], hybrid, etc.) have been proposed and are also currently employed to solve these synthesis-design problems. D’ Anterroches [3] proposed a group contribution based approach to solve the synthesis-design problem...... of chemical processes, where, chemical process flowsheets could be synthesized in the same way as atoms or groups of atoms are synthesized to form molecules in computer aided molecular design (CAMD) techniques [4]. That, from a library of building blocks (functional process-groups) and a set of rules to join...

Translating Management Practices in Hierarchical Organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wæraas, Arild; Nielsen, Jeppe Agger

structures affect translators’ approaches taken towards management ideas. This paper reports the findings from a longitudinal case study of the translation of Leadership Pipeline in a Danish fire department and how the translators’ approach changed over time from a modifying to a reproducing mode. The study......This study examines how translators in a hierarchical context approach the translation of management practices. Although current translation theory and research emphasize the importance of contextual factors in translation processes, little research has investigated how strongly hierarchical...... finds that translation does not necessarily imply transformation of the management idea, pointing instead to aspects of exact imitation and copying of an ”original” idea. It also highlights how translation is likely to involve multiple and successive translation modes and, furthermore, that strongly...

Systematic methods for synthesis and design of sustainable chemical and biochemical processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gani, Rafiqul

Chemical and biochemical process design consists of designing the process that can sustainably manufacture an identified chemical product through a chemical or biochemical route. The chemical product tree is potentially very large; starting from a set of basic raw materials (such as petroleum...... for process intensification, sustainable process design, identification of optimal biorefinery models as well as integrated process-control design, and chemical product design. The lecture will present the main concepts, the decomposition based solution approach, the developed methods and tools together...

Catalysis with hierarchical zeolites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, Martin Spangsberg; Taarning, Esben; Egeblad, Kresten

2011-01-01

Hierarchical (or mesoporous) zeolites have attracted significant attention during the first decade of the 21st century, and so far this interest continues to increase. There have already been several reviews giving detailed accounts of the developments emphasizing different aspects of this research...... topic. Until now, the main reason for developing hierarchical zeolites has been to achieve heterogeneous catalysts with improved performance but this particular facet has not yet been reviewed in detail. Thus, the present paper summaries and categorizes the catalytic studies utilizing hierarchical...... zeolites that have been reported hitherto. Prototypical examples from some of the different categories of catalytic reactions that have been studied using hierarchical zeolite catalysts are highlighted. This clearly illustrates the different ways that improved performance can be achieved with this family...

Fabrication of long-term stable superoleophobic surface based on copper oxide/cobalt oxide with micro-nanoscale hierarchical roughness

Science.gov (United States)

Barthwal, Sumit; Lim, Si-Hyung

2015-02-01

We have demonstrated a simple and cost-effective technique for the large-area fabrication of a superoleophobic surface using copper as a substrate. The whole process included three simple steps: First, the copper substrate was oxidized under hot alkaline conditions to fabricate flower-like copper oxide microspheres by heating at a particular temperature for an interval of time. Second, the copper-oxide-covered copper substrate was further heated in a solution of cobalt nitrate and ammonium nitrate in the presence of an ammonia solution to fabricate cobalt oxide nanostructures. We applied this second step to increase the surface roughness because it is an important criterion for improved superoleophobicity. Finally, to reduce the surface energy of the fabricated structures, the surfaces were chemically modified with perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane. Contact-angle measurements indicate that the micro-nano binary (MNB) hierarchical structures fabricated on the copper substrate became super-repellent toward a broad range of liquids with surface tension in the range of 21.5-72 mN/m. In an attempt to significantly improve the superoleophobic property of the surface, we also examined and compared the role of nanostructures in MNB hierarchical structures with only micro-fabricated surfaces. The fabricated MNB hierarchical structures also displays thermal stability and excellent long-term stability after exposure in air for more than 9 months. Our method might provide a general route toward the preparation of novel hierarchical films on metal substrates for various industrial applications.

Hierarchical prisoner’s dilemma in hierarchical game for resource competition

Science.gov (United States)

Fujimoto, Yuma; Sagawa, Takahiro; Kaneko, Kunihiko

2017-07-01

Dilemmas in cooperation are one of the major concerns in game theory. In a public goods game, each individual cooperates by paying a cost or defecting without paying it, and receives a reward from the group out of the collected cost. Thus, defecting is beneficial for each individual, while cooperation is beneficial for the group. Now, groups (say, countries) consisting of individuals also play games. To study such a multi-level game, we introduce a hierarchical game in which multiple groups compete for limited resources by utilizing the collected cost in each group, where the power to appropriate resources increases with the population of the group. Analyzing this hierarchical game, we found a hierarchical prisoner’s dilemma, in which groups choose the defecting policy (say, armament) as a Nash strategy to optimize each group’s benefit, while cooperation optimizes the total benefit. On the other hand, for each individual, refusing to pay the cost (say, tax) is a Nash strategy, which turns out to be a cooperation policy for the group, thus leading to a hierarchical dilemma. Here the group reward increases with the group size. However, we find that there exists an optimal group size that maximizes the individual payoff. Furthermore, when the population asymmetry between two groups is large, the smaller group will choose a cooperation policy (say, disarmament) to avoid excessive response from the larger group, and the prisoner’s dilemma between the groups is resolved. Accordingly, the relevance of this hierarchical game on policy selection in society and the optimal size of human or animal groups are discussed.

Improved electrochemical performance of hierarchical porous carbon/polyaniline composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Juan; Wang Huanlei; Huang Xiao

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Polyaniline-coated hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) composites have been synthesized by in situ polymerization. ► The HPC/polyaniline composite has significantly better electrochemical capacitance performance than pure HPC and polyaniline. ► The amount of polyaniline loading has a significant effect on the composites’ electrochemical performances. - Abstract: Polyaniline (PANI)-coated hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) composites (HPC/PANI) for use as supercapacitor electrodes were prepared by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization at 273 K of an aniline solution containing well-dispersed HPC particles. After polymerization, a thin layer of PANI was coated on the surface of the HPC particles, which was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared to pure PANI and HPC, the electrochemical capacitance performance of the composites was significantly improved. The highest specific capacitance of the composites obtained is 478 F g −1 at 1 mV s −1 , which is more than twice as that of pure PANI and three times as that of pure HPC. Because of the influence from the hierarchical pore structure of the carbon material, the calculated specific capacitance of PANI in the composite (pseudocapacitance contribution from PANI) is almost one magnitude higher than that of pure PANI.

Applications of hierarchically structured porous materials from energy storage and conversion, catalysis, photocatalysis, adsorption, separation, and sensing to biomedicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ming-Hui; Huang, Shao-Zhuan; Chen, Li-Hua; Li, Yu; Yang, Xiao-Yu; Yuan, Zhong-Yong; Su, Bao-Lian

2016-06-13

Over the last decade, significant effort has been devoted to the applications of hierarchically structured porous materials owing to their outstanding properties such as high surface area, excellent accessibility to active sites, and enhanced mass transport and diffusion. The hierarchy of porosity, structural, morphological and component levels in these materials is key for their high performance in all kinds of applications. The introduction of hierarchical porosity into materials has led to a significant improvement in the performance of materials. Herein, recent progress in the applications of hierarchically structured porous materials from energy conversion and storage, catalysis, photocatalysis, adsorption, separation, and sensing to biomedicine is reviewed. Their potential future applications are also highlighted. We particularly dwell on the relationship between hierarchically porous structures and properties, with examples of each type of hierarchically structured porous material according to its chemical composition and physical characteristics. The present review aims to open up a new avenue to guide the readers to quickly obtain in-depth knowledge of applications of hierarchically porous materials and to have a good idea about selecting and designing suitable hierarchically porous materials for a specific application. In addition to focusing on the applications of hierarchically porous materials, this comprehensive review could stimulate researchers to synthesize new advanced hierarchically porous solids.

ACToR Chemical Structure processing using Open Source ...

Science.gov (United States)

ACToR (Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource) is a centralized database repository developed by the National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Free and open source tools were used to compile toxicity data from over 1,950 public sources. ACToR contains chemical structure information and toxicological data for over 558,000 unique chemicals. The database primarily includes data from NCCT research programs, in vivo toxicity data from ToxRef, human exposure data from ExpoCast, high-throughput screening data from ToxCast and high quality chemical structure information from the EPA DSSTox program. The DSSTox database is a chemical structure inventory for the NCCT programs and currently has about 16,000 unique structures. Included are also data from PubChem, ChemSpider, USDA, FDA, NIH and several other public data sources. ACToR has been a resource to various international and national research groups. Most of our recent efforts on ACToR are focused on improving the structural identifiers and Physico-Chemical properties of the chemicals in the database. Organizing this huge collection of data and improving the chemical structure quality of the database has posed some major challenges. Workflows have been developed to process structures, calculate chemical properties and identify relationships between CAS numbers. The Structure processing workflow integrates web services (PubChem and NIH NCI Cactus) to d

Convex Clustering: An Attractive Alternative to Hierarchical Clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Gary K.; Chi, Eric C.; Ranola, John Michael O.; Lange, Kenneth

2015-01-01

The primary goal in cluster analysis is to discover natural groupings of objects. The field of cluster analysis is crowded with diverse methods that make special assumptions about data and address different scientific aims. Despite its shortcomings in accuracy, hierarchical clustering is the dominant clustering method in bioinformatics. Biologists find the trees constructed by hierarchical clustering visually appealing and in tune with their evolutionary perspective. Hierarchical clustering operates on multiple scales simultaneously. This is essential, for instance, in transcriptome data, where one may be interested in making qualitative inferences about how lower-order relationships like gene modules lead to higher-order relationships like pathways or biological processes. The recently developed method of convex clustering preserves the visual appeal of hierarchical clustering while ameliorating its propensity to make false inferences in the presence of outliers and noise. The solution paths generated by convex clustering reveal relationships between clusters that are hidden by static methods such as k-means clustering. The current paper derives and tests a novel proximal distance algorithm for minimizing the objective function of convex clustering. The algorithm separates parameters, accommodates missing data, and supports prior information on relationships. Our program CONVEXCLUSTER incorporating the algorithm is implemented on ATI and nVidia graphics processing units (GPUs) for maximal speed. Several biological examples illustrate the strengths of convex clustering and the ability of the proximal distance algorithm to handle high-dimensional problems. CONVEXCLUSTER can be freely downloaded from the UCLA Human Genetics web site at http://www.genetics.ucla.edu/software/ PMID:25965340

Hierarchically ordered self-lubricating superhydrophobic anodized aluminum surfaces with enhanced corrosion resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Vengatesh, Panneerselvam; Kulandainathan, Manickam Anbu

2015-01-28

Herein, we report a facile method for the fabrication of self-lubricating superhydrophobic hierarchical anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) surfaces with improved corrosion protection, which is greatly anticipated to have a high impact in catalysis, aerospace, and the shipping industries. This method involves chemical grafting of as-formed AAO using low surface free energy molecules like long chain saturated fatty acids, perfluorinated fatty acid (perfluorooctadecanoic acid, PFODA), and perfluorosulfonicacid-polytetrafluoroethylene copolymer. The pre and post treatment processes in the anodization of aluminum (Al) play a vital role in the grafting of fatty acids. Wettability and surface free energy were analyzed using a contact angle meter and achieved 161.5° for PFODA grafted anodized aluminum (PFODA-Al). This study was also aimed at evaluating the surface for corrosion resistance by Tafel polarization and self-lubricating properties by tribological studies using a pin-on-disc tribometer. The collective results showed that chemically grafted AAO nanostructures exhibit high corrosion resistance toward seawater and low frictional coefficient due to low surface energy and self-lubricating property of fatty acids covalently linked to anodized Al surfaces.

Micromechanics of hierarchical materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mishnaevsky, Leon, Jr.

2012-01-01

A short overview of micromechanical models of hierarchical materials (hybrid composites, biomaterials, fractal materials, etc.) is given. Several examples of the modeling of strength and damage in hierarchical materials are summarized, among them, 3D FE model of hybrid composites...... with nanoengineered matrix, fiber bundle model of UD composites with hierarchically clustered fibers and 3D multilevel model of wood considered as a gradient, cellular material with layered composite cell walls. The main areas of research in micromechanics of hierarchical materials are identified, among them......, the investigations of the effects of load redistribution between reinforcing elements at different scale levels, of the possibilities to control different material properties and to ensure synergy of strengthening effects at different scale levels and using the nanoreinforcement effects. The main future directions...

New Vistas in Chemical Product and Process Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Lei; Babi, Deenesh Kavi; Gani, Rafiqul

2016-01-01

Design of chemicals-based products is broadly classified into those that are process centered and those that are product centered. In this article, the designs of both classes of products are reviewed from a process systems point of view; developments related to the design of the chemical product......, its corresponding process, and its integration are highlighted. Although significant advances have been made in the development of systematic model-based techniques for process design (also for optimization, operation, and control), much work is needed to reach the same level for product design....... Timeline diagrams illustrating key contributions in product design, process design, and integrated product-process design are presented. The search for novel, innovative, and sustainable solutions must be matched by consideration of issues related to the multidisciplinary nature of problems, the lack...

Fabrication of flexible hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber films for application in binder-free supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Kaibing; Yao, Yiyuan; Yang, Xiuwen; Chen, Zhenhua; Li, Min

2016-01-01

Hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber (HPNCNF) films were prepared via a simple electrospinning process, in which polyacrylonitrile and silicone surfactants were adopted as carbon source and porogen, respectively, followed by a thermal treatment. The morphology, chemical composition, and porosity of the HPNCNFs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption–desorption experiments. The as-prepared HPNCNFs with a specific surface area of 656 m"2 g"−"1, a hierarchical pore structure, and a nitrogen content of 8.1 at% showed a specific capacitance of 289 F g"−"1 in a 6 mol L"−"1 KOH aqueous solution with excellent cycle durability, making HPNCNF films a promising electrode material for a future application in supercapacitors. - Highlights: • HPNCNF films are prepared by electrospinning followed by thermal treatment. • Silicone surfactants are adopted as porogen to prepare HPNCNF films. • The HPNCNF films show a specific capacitance of 289 F g"−"1 at a current density of 0.2 A g"−"1.

Sustainable Chemical Processes and Products. New Design Methodology and Design Tools

OpenAIRE

Korevaar, G.

2004-01-01

The current chemical industry is not sustainable, which leads to the fact that innovation of chemical processes and products is too often hazardous for society in general and the environment in particular. It really is a challenge to implement sustainability considerations in the design activities of chemical engineers. Therefore, the main question of this thesis is: how can a trained chemical engineer develop a conceptual design of a chemical process or a chemical product in such a way that ...

Combustion synthesized hierarchically porous WO{sub 3} for selective acetone sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, Chengjun; Liu, Xu; Guan, Hongtao; Chen, Gang; Xiao, Xuechun [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, 650091, Kunming (China); Djerdj, Igor [Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000, Zagreb (Croatia); Wang, Yude, E-mail: ydwang@ynu.edu.cn [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, 650091, Kunming (China); Yunnan Province Key Lab of Mico-Nano Materials and Technology, Yunnan University, 650091, Kunming (China)

2016-12-01

An easy, inexpensive combustion route was designed to synthesize hierarchically porous WO{sub 3}. The tungsten source was fresh peroxiotungstic acid by dissolving tungsten powder into hydrogen peroxide. To promote the combustion reaction, a combined fuel of both glycine and hydrazine hydrate was used. The microstructure was well-connected pores comprised of subunit nanoparticles. Upon exposing towards acetone gas, the porous WO{sub 3} based sensor exhibits high gas response, rapid response and recovery, and good selectivity in the range of 5–1000 ppm under working temperature of 300 °C. This excellent sensing performance was plausibly attributed to the porous morphology, which hence provides more active sites for the gas molecules' reaction. - Graphical abstract: Hierarchically porous WO{sub 3} synthesized by combustion process exhibits high gas response, rapid response and recovery, and excellent selectivity for acetone, making it to be promising candidates for practical detectors for acetone. - Highlights: • Hierarchically porous WO{sub 3} synthesized by combustion process. • Hierarchically porous WO{sub 3} exhibits high gas response and excellent selectivity for acetone. • The excellent sensing property was plausibly attributed to the porous morphology.

Chemical kinetics and oil shale process design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burnham, A.K.

1993-07-01

Oil shale processes are reviewed with the goal of showing how chemical kinetics influences the design and operation of different processes for different types of oil shale. Reaction kinetics are presented for organic pyrolysis, carbon combustion, carbonate decomposition, and sulfur and nitrogen reactions.

Photoelectrochemical properties of hierarchical ZnO micro-nanostructure sensitized with Sb2S3 nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhimin GUO

2016-02-01

Full Text Available By using electrochemical deposition method, and assisted with additions of PEG-400 and EDA, well-aligned ZnO nanorods and hierarchical ZnO micro-nanostructure are fabricated directly on indium doped tin oxide coated conducting glass (ITO substrate. The shell-core Sb2S3/ZnO nanorod structure and the shell-core hierarchical Sb2S3/ZnO micro-nanostructure are prepared by chemical bath deposition method. SEM, XRD, UV-Vis and photocurrent test are used to characterize the morphology, nanostructures and their photoelectrochemical properties. The studies show that the photocurrent on the array membranes with shell-core hierarchical Sb2S3/ZnO micro-nanostructure is apparently higher than that with shell-core Sb2S3/ZnO nanorods array.

Applying macromolecular crowding to 3D bioprinting: fabrication of 3D hierarchical porous collagen-based hydrogel constructs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Wei Long; Goh, Min Hao; Yeong, Wai Yee; Naing, May Win

2018-02-27

Native tissues and/or organs possess complex hierarchical porous structures that confer highly-specific cellular functions. Despite advances in fabrication processes, it is still very challenging to emulate the hierarchical porous collagen architecture found in most native tissues. Hence, the ability to recreate such hierarchical porous structures would result in biomimetic tissue-engineered constructs. Here, a single-step drop-on-demand (DOD) bioprinting strategy is proposed to fabricate hierarchical porous collagen-based hydrogels. Printable macromolecule-based bio-inks (polyvinylpyrrolidone, PVP) have been developed and printed in a DOD manner to manipulate the porosity within the multi-layered collagen-based hydrogels by altering the collagen fibrillogenesis process. The experimental results have indicated that hierarchical porous collagen structures could be achieved by controlling the number of macromolecule-based bio-ink droplets printed on each printed collagen layer. This facile single-step bioprinting process could be useful for the structural design of collagen-based hydrogels for various tissue engineering applications.

Idaho Chemical Processing Plant Process Efficiency improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griebenow, B.

1996-03-01

In response to decreasing funding levels available to support activities at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) and a desire to be cost competitive, the Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) and Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company have increased their emphasis on cost-saving measures. The ICPP Effectiveness Improvement Initiative involves many activities to improve cost effectiveness and competitiveness. This report documents the methodology and results of one of those cost cutting measures, the Process Efficiency Improvement Activity. The Process Efficiency Improvement Activity performed a systematic review of major work processes at the ICPP to increase productivity and to identify nonvalue-added requirements. A two-phase approach was selected for the activity to allow for near-term implementation of relatively easy process modifications in the first phase while obtaining long-term continuous improvement in the second phase and beyond. Phase I of the initiative included a concentrated review of processes that had a high potential for cost savings with the intent of realizing savings in Fiscal Year 1996 (FY-96.) Phase II consists of implementing long-term strategies too complex for Phase I implementation and evaluation of processes not targeted for Phase I review. The Phase II effort is targeted for realizing cost savings in FY-97 and beyond

Robust Real-Time Music Transcription with a Compositional Hierarchical Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesek, Matevž; Leonardis, Aleš; Marolt, Matija

2017-01-01

The paper presents a new compositional hierarchical model for robust music transcription. Its main features are unsupervised learning of a hierarchical representation of input data, transparency, which enables insights into the learned representation, as well as robustness and speed which make it suitable for real-world and real-time use. The model consists of multiple layers, each composed of a number of parts. The hierarchical nature of the model corresponds well to hierarchical structures in music. The parts in lower layers correspond to low-level concepts (e.g. tone partials), while the parts in higher layers combine lower-level representations into more complex concepts (tones, chords). The layers are learned in an unsupervised manner from music signals. Parts in each layer are compositions of parts from previous layers based on statistical co-occurrences as the driving force of the learning process. In the paper, we present the model's structure and compare it to other hierarchical approaches in the field of music information retrieval. We evaluate the model's performance for the multiple fundamental frequency estimation. Finally, we elaborate on extensions of the model towards other music information retrieval tasks.

Development of chemical process for synthesis of polyunsaturated esters

OpenAIRE

Vera LÃcia Viana do Nascimento

2014-01-01

This work aimed to develop refining processes, chemical alcoholysis followed by separation of fatty acids using the complexation with urea technique for the synthesis of poly-unsaturated esters from waste of fish oils. The special crude fish oil was purchased from Company Campestre - SÃo Paulo. Initially this oil has undergone a process of physical and chemical refining. From the refined oil, an alcoholysis process was carried out to obtain the mixture of free fatty acids. From the hydrolyzed...

Nanomechanical strength mechanisms of hierarchical biological materials and tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Buehler, Markus J; Ackbarow, Theodor

2008-12-01

Biological protein materials (BPMs), intriguing hierarchical structures formed by assembly of chemical building blocks, are crucial for critical functions of life. The structural details of BPMs are fascinating: They represent a combination of universally found motifs such as alpha-helices or beta-sheets with highly adapted protein structures such as cytoskeletal networks or spider silk nanocomposites. BPMs combine properties like strength and robustness, self-healing ability, adaptability, changeability, evolvability and others into multi-functional materials at a level unmatched in synthetic materials. The ability to achieve these properties depends critically on the particular traits of these materials, first and foremost their hierarchical architecture and seamless integration of material and structure, from nano to macro. Here, we provide a brief review of this field and outline new research directions, along with a review of recent research results in the development of structure-property relationships of biological protein materials exemplified in a study of vimentin intermediate filaments.

Hierarchical Semantic Model of Geovideo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

XIE Xiao

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The public security incidents were getting increasingly challenging with regard to their new features, including multi-scale mobility, multistage dynamic evolution, as well as spatiotemporal concurrency and uncertainty in the complex urban environment. However, the existing video models, which were used/designed for independent archive or local analysis of surveillance video, have seriously inhibited emergency response to the urgent requirements.Aiming at the explicit representation of change mechanism in video, the paper proposed a novel hierarchical geovideo semantic model using UML. This model was characterized by the hierarchical representation of both data structure and semantics based on the change-oriented three domains (feature domain, process domain and event domain instead of overall semantic description of video streaming; combining both geographical semantics and video content semantics, in support of global semantic association between multiple geovideo data. The public security incidents by video surveillance are inspected as an example to illustrate the validity of this model.

Physical and chemical characterization of bioaerosols - Implications for nucleation processes

Science.gov (United States)

Ariya, P. A.; Sun, J.; Eltouny, N. A.; Hudson, E. D.; Hayes, C. T.; Kos, G.

The importance of organic compounds in the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, and as cloud condensation and ice-forming nuclei, has been recognized for several decades. Organic compounds comprise a significant fraction of the suspended matter mass, leading to local (e.g. toxicity, health hazards) and global (e.g. climate change) impacts. The state of knowledge of the physical chemistry of organic aerosols has increased during the last few decades. However, due to their complex chemistry and the multifaceted processes in which they are involved, the importance of organic aerosols, particularly bioaerosols, in driving physical and chemical atmospheric processes is still very uncertain and poorly understood. Factors such as solubility, surface tension, chemical impurities, volatility, morphology, contact angle, deliquescence, wettability, and the oxidation process are pivotal in the understanding of the activation processes of cloud droplets, and their chemical structures, solubilities and even the molecular configuration of the microbial outer membrane, all impact ice and cloud nucleation processes in the atmosphere. The aim of this review paper is to assess the current state of knowledge regarding chemical and physical characterization of bioaerosols with a focus on those properties important in nucleation processes. We herein discuss the potential importance (or lack thereof) of physical and chemical properties of bioaerosols and illustrate how the knowledge of these properties can be employed to study nucleation processes using a modeling exercise. We also outline a list of major uncertainties due to a lack of understanding of the processes involved or lack of available data. We will also discuss key issues of atmospheric significance deserving future physical chemistry research in the fields of bioaerosol characterization and microphysics, as well as bioaerosol modeling. These fundamental questions are to be addressed prior to any definite conclusions on the

Laser isotope separation - a new class of chemical process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodall, K.B.; Mannik, L.; O'Neill, J.A.; Mader, D.L.; Nickerson, S.B.; Robins, J.R.; Bartoszek, F.E.; Gratton, D.

1983-01-01

Lasers may soon find several applications in chemical processing. The applications that have attracted the most research funding to date involve isotope separation for the nuclear industry. These isotopes have an unusually high value (≥$1000/kg) compared to bulk chemicals (∼$1/kg) and are generally required in very large quantities. In a laser isotope separation process, light is used to convert a separation that is very difficult or even impossible by conventional chemical engineering techniques to one that is readily handled by conventional separation technology. For some isotopes this can result in substantial capital and energy savings. A uranium enrichment process developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the closest to commercialization of the large scale laser isotope separation processes. Of particular interest to the Canadian nuclear industry are the laser separation of deuterium, tritium, zirconium-90 and carbon-14. In this paper, the basic principles behind laser isotope separation are reviewed and brief dscriptions of the more developed processes are given

Hierarchical architecture of active knits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abel, Julianna; Luntz, Jonathan; Brei, Diann

2013-01-01

Nature eloquently utilizes hierarchical structures to form the world around us. Applying the hierarchical architecture paradigm to smart materials can provide a basis for a new genre of actuators which produce complex actuation motions. One promising example of cellular architecture—active knits—provides complex three-dimensional distributed actuation motions with expanded operational performance through a hierarchically organized structure. The hierarchical structure arranges a single fiber of active material, such as shape memory alloys (SMAs), into a cellular network of interlacing adjacent loops according to a knitting grid. This paper defines a four-level hierarchical classification of knit structures: the basic knit loop, knit patterns, grid patterns, and restructured grids. Each level of the hierarchy provides increased architectural complexity, resulting in expanded kinematic actuation motions of active knits. The range of kinematic actuation motions are displayed through experimental examples of different SMA active knits. The results from this paper illustrate and classify the ways in which each level of the hierarchical knit architecture leverages the performance of the base smart material to generate unique actuation motions, providing necessary insight to best exploit this new actuation paradigm. (paper)

Nested and Hierarchical Archimax copulas

KAUST Repository

Hofert, Marius

2017-07-03

The class of Archimax copulas is generalized to nested and hierarchical Archimax copulas in several ways. First, nested extreme-value copulas or nested stable tail dependence functions are introduced to construct nested Archimax copulas based on a single frailty variable. Second, a hierarchical construction of d-norm generators is presented to construct hierarchical stable tail dependence functions and thus hierarchical extreme-value copulas. Moreover, one can, by itself or additionally, introduce nested frailties to extend Archimax copulas to nested Archimax copulas in a similar way as nested Archimedean copulas extend Archimedean copulas. Further results include a general formula for the density of Archimax copulas.

Nested and Hierarchical Archimax copulas

KAUST Repository

Hofert, Marius; Huser, Raphaë l; Prasad, Avinash

2017-01-01

The class of Archimax copulas is generalized to nested and hierarchical Archimax copulas in several ways. First, nested extreme-value copulas or nested stable tail dependence functions are introduced to construct nested Archimax copulas based on a single frailty variable. Second, a hierarchical construction of d-norm generators is presented to construct hierarchical stable tail dependence functions and thus hierarchical extreme-value copulas. Moreover, one can, by itself or additionally, introduce nested frailties to extend Archimax copulas to nested Archimax copulas in a similar way as nested Archimedean copulas extend Archimedean copulas. Further results include a general formula for the density of Archimax copulas.

Chemical-cleaning process evaluation: Westinghouse steam generators. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cleary, W.F.; Gockley, G.B.

1983-04-01

The Steam Generator Owners Group (SGOG)/Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Steam Generator Secondary Side Chemical Cleaning Program, under develpment since 1978, has resulted in a generic process for the removal of accumulated corrosion products and tube deposits in the tube support plate crevices. The SGOG/EPRI Project S150-3 was established to obtain an evaluation of the generic process in regard to its applicability to Westinghouse steam generators. The results of the evaluation form the basis for recommendations for transferring the generic process to a plant specific application and identify chemical cleaning corrosion guidelines for the materials in Westinghouse Steam Generators. The results of the evaluation, recommendations for plant-specific applications and corrosion guidelines for chemical cleaning are presented in this report

Process safety management for highly hazardous chemicals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-02-01

Purpose of this document is to assist US DOE contractors who work with threshold quantities of highly hazardous chemicals (HHCs), flammable liquids or gases, or explosives in successfully implementing the requirements of OSHA Rule for Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119). Purpose of this rule is to prevent releases of HHCs that have the potential to cause catastrophic fires, explosions, or toxic exposures.

Sustainability assessment of novel chemical processes at early stage: application to biobased processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Patel, A.D.; Meesters, K.; Uil, H. den; Jong, E. de; Blok, K.; Patel, M.K.

2012-01-01

Chemical conversions have been a cornerstone of industrial revolution and societal progress. Continuing this progress in a resource constrained world poses a critical challenge which demands the development of innovative chemical processes to meet our energy and material needs in a sustainable way.

Order from the disorder: hierarchical nanostructures self-assembled from the gas phase (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Di Fonzo, Fabio

2017-02-01

The assembly of nanoscale building blocks in engineered mesostructures is one of the fundamental goals of nanotechnology. Among the various processes developed to date, self-assembly emerges as one of the most promising, since it relays solely on basic physico-chemical forces. Our research is focused on a new type of self-assembly strategy from the gas-phase: Scattered Ballistic Deposition (SBD). SBD arises from the interaction of a supersonic molecular beam with a static gas and enables the growth of quasi-1D hierarchical mesostructures. Overall, they resemble a forest composed of individual, high aspect-ratio, tree-like structures, assembled from amorphous or crystalline nanoparticles. SBD is a general occurring phenomenon and can be obtained with different vapour or cluster sources. In particular, SBD by Pulsed Laser Deposition is a convenient physical vapor technique that allows the generation of supersonic plasma jets from any inorganic material irrespective of melting temperature, preserving even the most complex stoichiometries. One of the advantages of PLD over other vapour deposition techniques is extremely wide operational pressure range, from UHV to ambient pressure. These characteristics allowed us to develop quasi-1D hierarchical nanostructures from different transition metal oxides, semiconductors and metals. The precise control offered by the SBD-PLD technique over material properties at the nanoscale allowed us to fabricate ultra-thin, high efficiency hierarchical porous photonic crystals with Bragg reflectivity up to 85%. In this communication we will discuss the application of these materials to solar energy harvesting and storage, stimuli responsive photonic crystals and smart surfaces with digital control of their wettability behaviour.

Pushing Typists Back on the Learning Curve: Memory Chunking in the Hierarchical Control of Skilled Typewriting

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Logan, Gordon D.

2016-01-01

Hierarchical control of skilled performance depends on the ability of higher level control to process several lower level units as a single chunk. The present study investigated the development of hierarchical control of skilled typewriting, focusing on the process of memory chunking. In the first 3 experiments, skilled typists typed words or…

Effects of coupled thermal, hydrological and chemical processes on nuclide transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carnahan, C.L.

1987-03-01

Coupled thermal, hydrological and chemical processes can be classified in two categories. One category consists of the ''Onsager'' type of processes driven by gradients of thermodynamic state variables. These processes occur simultaneously with the direct transport processes. In particular, thermal osmosis, chemical osmosis and ultrafiltration may be prominent in semipermeable materials such as clays. The other category consists of processes affected indirectly by magnitudes of thermodynamic state variables. An important example of this category is the effect of temperature on rates of chemical reactions and chemical equilibria. Coupled processes in both categories may affect transport of radionuclides. Although computational models of limited extent have been constructed, there exists no model that accounts for the full set of THC-coupled processes. In the category of Onsager coupled processes, further model development and testing is severely constrained by a deficient data base of phenomenological coefficients. In the second category, the lack of a general description of effects of heterogeneous chemical reactions on permeability of porous media inhibits progress in quantitative modeling of hydrochemically coupled transport processes. Until fundamental data necessary for further model development have been acquired, validation efforts will be limited necessarily to testing of incomplete models of nuclide transport under closely controlled experimental conditions. 34 refs., 2 tabs

Bio-inspired fabrication of stimuli-responsive photonic crystals with hierarchical structures and their applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Tao; Peng, Wenhong; Zhu, Shenmin; Zhang, Di

2016-01-01

When the constitutive materials of photonic crystals (PCs) are stimuli-responsive, the resultant PCs exhibit optical properties that can be tuned by the stimuli. This can be exploited for promising applications in colour displays, biological and chemical sensors, inks and paints, and many optically active components. However, the preparation of the required photonic structures is the first issue to be solved. In the past two decades, approaches such as microfabrication and self-assembly have been developed to incorporate stimuli-responsive materials into existing periodic structures for the fabrication of PCs, either as the initial building blocks or as the surrounding matrix. Generally, the materials that respond to thermal, pH, chemical, optical, electrical, or magnetic stimuli are either soft or aggregate, which is why the manufacture of three-dimensional hierarchical photonic structures with responsive properties is a great challenge. Recently, inspired by biological PCs in nature which exhibit both flexible and responsive properties, researchers have developed various methods to synthesize metals and metal oxides with hierarchical structures by using a biological PC as the template. This review will focus on the recent developments in this field. In particular, PCs with biological hierarchical structures that can be tuned by external stimuli have recently been successfully fabricated. These findings offer innovative insights into the design of responsive PCs and should be of great importance for future applications of these materials. (topical review)

Computer-Aided Multiscale Modelling for Chemical Process Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Morales Rodriguez, Ricardo; Gani, Rafiqul

2007-01-01

Chemical processes are generally modeled through monoscale approaches, which, while not adequate, satisfy a useful role in product-process design. In this case, use of a multi-dimensional and multi-scale model-based approach has importance in product-process development. A computer-aided framework...

Selective Semihydrogenation of Alkynes Catalyzed by Pd Nanoparticles Immobilized on Heteroatom-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon Derived from Bamboo Shoots.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Guijie; Duan, Yanan; Zhang, Shaochun; Fei, Benhua; Chen, Xiufang; Yang, Yong

2017-09-11

Highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) immobilized on heteroatom-doped hierarchical porous carbon supports (N,O-carbon) with large specific surface areas are synthesized by a wet chemical reduction method. The N,O-carbon derived from naturally abundant bamboo shoots is fabricated by a tandem hydrothermal-carbonization process without assistance of any templates, chemical activation reagents, or exogenous N or O sources in a simple and ecofriendly manner. The prepared Pd/N,O-carbon catalyst shows extremely high activity and excellent chemoselectivity for semihydrogenation of a broad range of alkynes to versatile and valuable alkenes under ambient conditions. The catalyst can be readily recovered for successive reuse with negligible loss in activity and selectivity, and is also applicable for practical gram-scale reactions. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Facile synthesis of Zn doped CuO hierarchical nanostructures: Structural, optical and antibacterial properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javed Iqbal

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ZnxCu1−xO (where x= 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.1 mol% hierarchical nanostructures have been prepared via soft chemical route. X-ray diffraction (XRD results of the synthesized samples reveal the monoclinic structure of CuO without any impurity related phases. The micro-structural parameters such as crystallite size and microstrain have been strongly influenced by Zn doping. Scanning electron microscope (SEM analyses depict the formation of hierarchical nanostructures having average particle size in the range of 26-43 nm. The surface area of CuO nanostructures has been reduced systematically with the increase in Zn content which is linked with the variations in particle size. An obvious decrease in the optical band gap energy of the synthesized CuO hierarchical nanostructures has been observed with Zn doping which is assigned to the formation of shallow levels in the band gap of CuO and combined transition from oxygen 2p states to d sates of Cu and Zn ions. The bactericidal potency of the CuO hierarchical nanostructures have been found to be enhanced remarkably with Zn doping.

Facile synthesis of Zn doped CuO hierarchical nanostructures: Structural, optical and antibacterial properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iqbal, Javed, E-mail: tariqjan84@gmail.com, E-mail: javed.suggau@iiu.edu.pk; Jan, Tariq, E-mail: tariqjan84@gmail.com, E-mail: javed.suggau@iiu.edu.pk; Ul-Hassan, Sibt; Umair Ali, M.; Abbas, Fazal [Laboratory of Nanoscience and Technology, Department of Physics, International Islamic University, H-10, Islamabad (Pakistan); Ahmed, Ishaq [Experimental Physics Labs, National Center for Physics, Islamabad (Pakistan); Mansoor, Qaisar; Ismail, Muhammad [Institute of Biomedical and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), Islamabad (Pakistan)

2015-12-15

Zn{sub x}Cu{sub 1−x}O (where x= 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.1 mol%) hierarchical nanostructures have been prepared via soft chemical route. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results of the synthesized samples reveal the monoclinic structure of CuO without any impurity related phases. The micro-structural parameters such as crystallite size and microstrain have been strongly influenced by Zn doping. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses depict the formation of hierarchical nanostructures having average particle size in the range of 26-43 nm. The surface area of CuO nanostructures has been reduced systematically with the increase in Zn content which is linked with the variations in particle size. An obvious decrease in the optical band gap energy of the synthesized CuO hierarchical nanostructures has been observed with Zn doping which is assigned to the formation of shallow levels in the band gap of CuO and combined transition from oxygen 2p states to d sates of Cu and Zn ions. The bactericidal potency of the CuO hierarchical nanostructures have been found to be enhanced remarkably with Zn doping.

Silver Films with Hierarchical Chirality.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Liguo; Cao, Yuanyuan; Duan, Yingying; Han, Lu; Che, Shunai

2017-07-17

Physical fabrication of chiral metallic films usually results in singular or large-sized chirality, restricting the optical asymmetric responses to long electromagnetic wavelengths. The chiral molecule-induced formation of silver films prepared chemically on a copper substrate through a redox reaction is presented. Three levels of chirality were identified: primary twisted nanoflakes with atomic crystal lattices, secondary helical stacking of these nanoflakes to form nanoplates, and tertiary micrometer-sized circinates consisting of chiral arranged nanoplates. The chiral Ag films exhibited multiple plasmonic absorption- and scattering-based optical activities at UV/Vis wavelengths based on their hierarchical chirality. The Ag films showed chiral selectivity for amino acids in catalytic electrochemical reactions, which originated from their primary atomic crystal lattices. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Zinc oxide's hierarchical nanostructure and its photocatalytic properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kanjwal, Muzafar Ahmed; Sheikh, Faheem A.; Barakat, Nasser A. M.

2012-01-01

In this study, a new hierarchical nanostructure that consists of zinc oxide (ZnO) was produced by the electrospinning process followed by a hydrothermal technique. First, electrospinning of a colloidal solution that consisted of zinc nanoparticles, zinc acetate dihydrate and poly(vinyl alcohol...

The Origin of Hierarchical Structure in Self-Assembled Graphene Oxide Papers and the Effect on Mechanical Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Nandy, Krishanu

The quest for new materials with ever improving properties has motivated interest in bulk nanostructured materials. Graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of hexagonally arranged carbon atoms, has been of particular interest given its exceptional mechanical, thermal, optical and electrical properties. Graphene oxide is a chemically modified form of graphene in which the honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms is decorated with oxygen bearing functional groups. Graphene oxide represents a facile route for the production of large quantities of graphene based materials, is stable in aqueous and polar organic solvents and has the potential for further chemical modification. In this dissertation, the origin and influence of hierarchical structure on the mechanical properties of graphene oxide paper and graphene oxide paper based materials has been investigated. Free-standing papers derived from graphene oxide are of interest as structural materials due to their impressive mechanical properties. While studies have investigated the mechanical properties of graphene oxide papers, little is known about the formation mechanism. Using a series of flash-freezing experiments on graphene oxide papers undergoing formation, a stop-motion animation of the fabrication process was obtained. The results explain the origin of the hierarchical nature of graphene oxide papers and provide a method for the tailoring of graphene oxide based materials. An in depth study of fusion of graphene oxide papers demonstrates a simple single-step route for the fabrication of practical materials derived from graphene oxide papers. Fused papers retain the properties of constituent papers allowing for the fabrication of mechanical heterostructures that replicate the hierarchical nature of natural materials. The contribution of the hierarchical nature of graphene oxide papers to the mechanical properties was examined by comparing papers formed by two different mechanisms. The intermediate length scale structures

Chemical oxygen demand reduction in coffee wastewater through chemical flocculation and advanced oxidation processes

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZAYAS Pérez Teresa; GEISSLER Gunther; HERNANDEZ Fernando

2007-01-01

The removal of the natural organic matter present in coffee processing wastewater through chemical coagulation-flocculatio and advanced oxidation processes(AOP)had been studied.The effectiveness of the removal of natural organic matter using commercial flocculants and UV/H202,UVO3 and UV/H-H202/O3 processes was determined under acidic conditions.For each of these processes,different operational conditions were explored to optimize the treatment efficiency of the coffee wastewater.Coffee wastewater is characterized by a high chemical oxygen demand(COD)and low total suspended solids.The outcomes of coffee wastewater reeatment using coagulation-flocculation and photodegradation processes were assessed in terms of reduction of COD,color,and turbidity.It was found that a reductiOn in COD of 67%could be realized when the coffee wastewater was treated by chemical coagulation-flocculatlon witll lime and coagulant T-1.When coffee wastewater was treated by coagulation-flocculation in combination with UV/H202,a COD reduction of 86%was achieved,although only after prolonged UV irradiation.Of the three advanced oxidation processes considered,UV/H202,uv/03 and UV/H202/03,we found that the treatment with UV/H2O2/O3 was the most effective,with an efficiency of color,turbidity and further COD removal of 87%,when applied to the flocculated coffee wastewater.

Correlation between hierarchical structure of crystal networks and macroscopic performance of mesoscopic soft materials and engineering principles.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Naibo; Liu, Xiang Yang

2015-11-07

This review examines how the concepts and ideas of crystallization can be extended further and applied to the field of mesoscopic soft materials. It concerns the structural characteristics vs. the macroscopic performance, and the formation mechanism of crystal networks. Although this subject can be discussed in a broad sense across the area of mesoscopic soft materials, our main focus is on supramolecular materials, spider and silkworm silks, and biominerals. First, the occurrence of a hierarchical structure, i.e. crystal network and domain network structures, will facilitate the formation kinetics of mesoscopic phases and boost up the macroscopic performance of materials in some cases (i.e. spider silk fibres). Second, the structure and performance of materials can be correlated in some way by the four factors: topology, correlation length, symmetry/ordering, and strength of association of crystal networks. Moreover, four different kinetic paths of crystal network formation are identified, namely, one-step process of assembly, two-step process of assembly, mixed mode of assembly and foreign molecule mediated assembly. Based on the basic mechanisms of crystal nucleation and growth, the formation of crystal networks, such as crystallographic mismatch (or noncrystallographic) branching (tip branching and fibre side branching) and fibre/polymeric side merging, are reviewed. This facilitates the rational design and construction of crystal networks in supramolecular materials. In this context, the (re-)construction of a hierarchical crystal network structure can be implemented by thermal, precipitate, chemical, and sonication stimuli. As another important class of soft materials, the unusual mechanical performance of spider and silkworm silk fibres are reviewed in comparison with the regenerated silk protein derivatives. It follows that the considerably larger breaking stress and unusual breaking strain of spider silk fibres vs. silkworm silk fibres can be interpreted

Incrementally Detecting Change Types of Spatial Area Object: A Hierarchical Matching Method Considering Change Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanhui Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Detecting and extracting the change types of spatial area objects can track area objects’ spatiotemporal change pattern and provide the change backtracking mechanism for incrementally updating spatial datasets. To respond to the problems of high complexity of detection methods, high redundancy rate of detection factors, and the low automation degree during incrementally update process, we take into account the change process of area objects in an integrated way and propose a hierarchical matching method to detect the nine types of changes of area objects, while minimizing the complexity of the algorithm and the redundancy rate of detection factors. We illustrate in details the identification, extraction, and database entry of change types, and how we achieve a close connection and organic coupling of incremental information extraction and object type-of-change detection so as to characterize the whole change process. The experimental results show that this method can successfully detect incremental information about area objects in practical applications, with the overall accuracy reaching above 90%, which is much higher than the existing weighted matching method, making it quite feasible and applicable. It helps establish the corresponding relation between new-version and old-version objects, and facilitate the linked update processing and quality control of spatial data.

Advances in Applications of Hierarchical Bayesian Methods with Hydrological Models

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, R. B.; Schwarz, G. E.; Boyer, E. W.

2017-12-01

Mechanistic and empirical watershed models are increasingly used to inform water resource decisions. Growing access to historical stream measurements and data from in-situ sensor technologies has increased the need for improved techniques for coupling models with hydrological measurements. Techniques that account for the intrinsic uncertainties of both models and measurements are especially needed. Hierarchical Bayesian methods provide an efficient modeling tool for quantifying model and prediction uncertainties, including those associated with measurements. Hierarchical methods can also be used to explore spatial and temporal variations in model parameters and uncertainties that are informed by hydrological measurements. We used hierarchical Bayesian methods to develop a hybrid (statistical-mechanistic) SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) model of long-term mean annual streamflow across diverse environmental and climatic drainages in 18 U.S. hydrological regions. Our application illustrates the use of a new generation of Bayesian methods that offer more advanced computational efficiencies than the prior generation. Evaluations of the effects of hierarchical (regional) variations in model coefficients and uncertainties on model accuracy indicates improved prediction accuracies (median of 10-50%) but primarily in humid eastern regions, where model uncertainties are one-third of those in arid western regions. Generally moderate regional variability is observed for most hierarchical coefficients. Accounting for measurement and structural uncertainties, using hierarchical state-space techniques, revealed the effects of spatially-heterogeneous, latent hydrological processes in the "localized" drainages between calibration sites; this improved model precision, with only minor changes in regional coefficients. Our study can inform advances in the use of hierarchical methods with hydrological models to improve their integration with stream

New insight in magnetic saturation behavior of nickel hierarchical structures

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Ji; Zhang, Jianxing; Liu, Chunting; Chen, Kezheng

2017-09-01

It is unanimously accepted that non-ferromagnetic inclusions in a ferromagnetic system will lower down total saturation magnetization in unit of emu/g. In this study, ;lattice strain; was found to be another key factor to have critical impact on magnetic saturation behavior of the system. The lattice strain determined assembling patterns of primary nanoparticles in hierarchical structures and was intimately related with the formation process of these architectures. Therefore, flower-necklace-like and cauliflower-like nickel hierarchical structures were used as prototype systems to evidence the relationship between assembling patterns of primary nanoparticles and magnetic saturation behaviors of these architectures. It was found that the influence of lattice strain on saturation magnetization outperformed that of non-ferromagnetic inclusions in these hierarchical structures. This will enable new insights into fundamental understanding of related magnetic effects.

Chemical Processing Department monthly report, May 1957

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1957-06-21

The May, 1957 monthly report for the Chemical Processing Department of the Hanford Atomic Products Operation includes information regarding research and engineering efforts with respect to the Purex and Redox process technology. Also discussed is the production operation, finished product operation, power and general maintenance, financial operation, engineering and research operations, and employee operation.(MB)

Chemical Processing Department monthly report, September 1957

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1957-10-22

The September, 1957 monthly report for the Chemical Processing Department of the Hanford Atomic Products Operation includes information regarding research and engineering efforts with respect to the Purex and Redox process technology. Also discussed is the production operation, finished product operation, power and general maintenance, financial operation, engineering and research operations, and employee operation.

Accelerating Matrix-Vector Multiplication on Hierarchical Matrices Using Graphical Processing Units

KAUST Repository

Boukaram, W.

2015-03-25

Large dense matrices arise from the discretization of many physical phenomena in computational sciences. In statistics very large dense covariance matrices are used for describing random fields and processes. One can, for instance, describe distribution of dust particles in the atmosphere, concentration of mineral resources in the earth\\'s crust or uncertain permeability coefficient in reservoir modeling. When the problem size grows, storing and computing with the full dense matrix becomes prohibitively expensive both in terms of computational complexity and physical memory requirements. Fortunately, these matrices can often be approximated by a class of data sparse matrices called hierarchical matrices (H-matrices) where various sub-blocks of the matrix are approximated by low rank matrices. These matrices can be stored in memory that grows linearly with the problem size. In addition, arithmetic operations on these H-matrices, such as matrix-vector multiplication, can be completed in almost linear time. Originally the H-matrix technique was developed for the approximation of stiffness matrices coming from partial differential and integral equations. Parallelizing these arithmetic operations on the GPU has been the focus of this work and we will present work done on the matrix vector operation on the GPU using the KSPARSE library.

Statistical dynamics of ultradiffusion in hierarchical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, S.

1987-01-01

In many types of disordered systems which exhibit frustration and competition, an ultrametric topology is found to exist in the space of allowable states. This ultrametric topology of states is associated with a hierarchical relaxation process called ultradiffusion. Ultradiffusion occurs in hierarchical non-linear (HNL) dynamical systems when constraints cause large scale, slow modes of motion to be subordinated to small scale, fast modes. Examples of ultradiffusion are found throughout condensed matter physics and critical phenomena (e.g. the states of spin glasses), in biophysics (e.g. the states of Hopfield networks) and in many other fields including layered computing based upon nonlinear dynamics. The statistical dynamics of ultradiffusion can be treated as a random walk on an ultrametric space. For reversible bifurcating ultrametric spaces the evolution equation governing the probability of a particle being found at site i at time t has a highly degenerate transition matrix. This transition matrix has a fractal geometry similar to the replica form proposed for spin glasses. The authors invert this fractal matrix using a recursive quad-tree (QT) method. Possible applications of hierarchical systems to communications and symbolic computing are discussed briefly

MOF-5 decorated hierarchical ZnO nanorod arrays and its photoluminescence

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yinmin; Lan, Ding; Wang, Yuren; Cao, He; Jiang, Heng

2011-04-01

The strategy to manipulate nanoscale materials into well-organized hierarchical architectures is very important to both material synthesis and nanodevice applications. Here, nanoscale MOF-5 crystallites were successfully fabricated onto ordered hierarchical ZnO arrays based on aqueous chemical synthesis and molecule self-assembly technology guided room temperature diffusion method, which has the advantages of energy saving and simple operation. The structures and morphologies of the samples were performed by X-ray powder diffraction and field emission scanning electronic microscopy. The MOF-5 crystallites have good quality and bind well to the hexagonal-patterned ZnO arrays. The photoluminescence spectrum shows that the emission of hybrid MOF-5-ZnO films displays a blue shift in green emission and intensity reduction in UV emission. This ordered hybrid semiconductor material is expected to exploit the great potentiality in sensors, micro/nanodevices, and screen displays.

Selective hierarchical patterning of silicon nanostructures via soft nanostencil lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Ke; Ding, Junjun; Wathuthanthri, Ishan; Choi, Chang-Hwan

2017-11-17

It is challenging to hierarchically pattern high-aspect-ratio nanostructures on microstructures using conventional lithographic techniques, where photoresist (PR) film is not able to uniformly cover on the microstructures as the aspect ratio increases. Such non-uniformity causes poor definition of nanopatterns over the microstructures. Nanostencil lithography can provide an alternative means to hierarchically construct nanostructures on microstructures via direct deposition or plasma etching through a free-standing nanoporous membrane. In this work, we demonstrate the multiscale hierarchical fabrication of high-aspect-ratio nanostructures on microstructures of silicon using a free-standing nanostencil, which is a nanoporous membrane consisting of metal (Cr), PR, and anti-reflective coating. The nanostencil membrane is used as a deposition mask to define Cr nanodot patterns on the predefined silicon microstructures. Then, deep reactive ion etching is used to hierarchically create nanostructures on the microstructures using the Cr nanodots as an etch mask. With simple modification of the main fabrication processes, high-aspect-ratio nanopillars are selectively defined only on top of the microstructures, on bottom, or on both top and bottom.

Microbial production of bulk chemicals: development of anaerobic processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weusthuis, R.A.; Lamot, I.; Oost, van der J.; Sanders, J.P.M.

2011-01-01

nnovative fermentation processes are necessary for the cost-effective production of bulk chemicals from renewable resources. Current microbial processes are either anaerobic processes, with high yield and productivity, or less-efficient aerobic processes. Oxygen utilization plays an important role

Discrete hierarchical organization of social group sizes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, W-X; Sornette, D; Hill, R A; Dunbar, R I M

2005-02-22

The 'social brain hypothesis' for the evolution of large brains in primates has led to evidence for the coevolution of neocortical size and social group sizes, suggesting that there is a cognitive constraint on group size that depends, in some way, on the volume of neural material available for processing and synthesizing information on social relationships. More recently, work on both human and non-human primates has suggested that social groups are often hierarchically structured. We combine data on human grouping patterns in a comprehensive and systematic study. Using fractal analysis, we identify, with high statistical confidence, a discrete hierarchy of group sizes with a preferred scaling ratio close to three: rather than a single or a continuous spectrum of group sizes, humans spontaneously form groups of preferred sizes organized in a geometrical series approximating 3-5, 9-15, 30-45, etc. Such discrete scale invariance could be related to that identified in signatures of herding behaviour in financial markets and might reflect a hierarchical processing of social nearness by human brains.

Comparison of a species distribution model and a process model from a hierarchical perspective to quantify effects of projected climate change on tree species

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffrey E. Schneiderman; Hong S. He; Frank R. Thompson; William D. Dijak; Jacob S. Fraser

2015-01-01

Tree species distribution and abundance are affected by forces operating across a hierarchy of ecological scales. Process and species distribution models have been developed emphasizing forces at different scales. Understanding model agreement across hierarchical scales provides perspective on prediction uncertainty and ultimately enables policy makers and managers to...

Chemical Processing Department monthly report, June 1958

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1958-07-22

This report for June 1958, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

Chemical Processing Division monthly report, January 1966

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reed, P.E.

1966-02-21

This report, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO for January 1966, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

Chemical Processing Department monthly report, March 1961

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1961-04-21

This report for March 1961, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance: Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

Fabrication of flexible hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber films for application in binder-free supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Kaibing, E-mail: kbhuang8888@163.com; Yao, Yiyuan; Yang, Xiuwen; Chen, Zhenhua; Li, Min

2016-02-01

Hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber (HPNCNF) films were prepared via a simple electrospinning process, in which polyacrylonitrile and silicone surfactants were adopted as carbon source and porogen, respectively, followed by a thermal treatment. The morphology, chemical composition, and porosity of the HPNCNFs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption–desorption experiments. The as-prepared HPNCNFs with a specific surface area of 656 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}, a hierarchical pore structure, and a nitrogen content of 8.1 at% showed a specific capacitance of 289 F g{sup −1} in a 6 mol L{sup −1} KOH aqueous solution with excellent cycle durability, making HPNCNF films a promising electrode material for a future application in supercapacitors. - Highlights: • HPNCNF films are prepared by electrospinning followed by thermal treatment. • Silicone surfactants are adopted as porogen to prepare HPNCNF films. • The HPNCNF films show a specific capacitance of 289 F g{sup −1} at a current density of 0.2 A g{sup −1}.

Hierarchy concepts: classification and preparation strategies for zeolite containing materials with hierarchical porosity.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwieger, Wilhelm; Machoke, Albert Gonche; Weissenberger, Tobias; Inayat, Amer; Selvam, Thangaraj; Klumpp, Michael; Inayat, Alexandra

2016-06-13

'Hierarchy' is a property which can be attributed to a manifold of different immaterial systems, such as ideas, items and organisations or material ones like biological systems within living organisms or artificial, man-made constructions. The property 'hierarchy' is mainly characterised by a certain ordering of individual elements relative to each other, often in combination with a certain degree of branching. Especially mass-flow related systems in the natural environment feature special hierarchically branched patterns. This review is a survey into the world of hierarchical systems with special focus on hierarchically porous zeolite materials. A classification of hierarchical porosity is proposed based on the flow distribution pattern within the respective pore systems. In addition, this review might serve as a toolbox providing several synthetic and post-synthetic strategies to prepare zeolitic or zeolite containing material with tailored hierarchical porosity. Very often, such strategies with their underlying principles were developed for improving the performance of the final materials in different technical applications like adsorptive or catalytic processes. In the present review, besides on the hierarchically porous all-zeolite material, special focus is laid on the preparation of zeolitic composite materials with hierarchical porosity capable to face the demands of industrial application.

A hierarchical spatiotemporal analog forecasting model for count data.

Science.gov (United States)

McDermott, Patrick L; Wikle, Christopher K; Millspaugh, Joshua

2018-01-01

Analog forecasting is a mechanism-free nonlinear method that forecasts a system forward in time by examining how past states deemed similar to the current state moved forward. Previous applications of analog forecasting has been successful at producing robust forecasts for a variety of ecological and physical processes, but it has typically been presented in an empirical or heuristic procedure, rather than as a formal statistical model. The methodology presented here extends the model-based analog method of McDermott and Wikle (Environmetrics, 27, 2016, 70) by placing analog forecasting within a fully hierarchical statistical framework that can accommodate count observations. Using a Bayesian approach, the hierarchical analog model is able to quantify rigorously the uncertainty associated with forecasts. Forecasting waterfowl settling patterns in the northwestern United States and Canada is conducted by applying the hierarchical analog model to a breeding population survey dataset. Sea surface temperature (SST) in the Pacific Ocean is used to help identify potential analogs for the waterfowl settling patterns.

New Vistas in Chemical Product and Process Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Babi, Deenesh K; Gani, Rafiqul

2016-06-07

Design of chemicals-based products is broadly classified into those that are process centered and those that are product centered. In this article, the designs of both classes of products are reviewed from a process systems point of view; developments related to the design of the chemical product, its corresponding process, and its integration are highlighted. Although significant advances have been made in the development of systematic model-based techniques for process design (also for optimization, operation, and control), much work is needed to reach the same level for product design. Timeline diagrams illustrating key contributions in product design, process design, and integrated product-process design are presented. The search for novel, innovative, and sustainable solutions must be matched by consideration of issues related to the multidisciplinary nature of problems, the lack of data needed for model development, solution strategies that incorporate multiscale options, and reliability versus predictive power. The need for an integrated model-experiment-based design approach is discussed together with benefits of employing a systematic computer-aided framework with built-in design templates.

Intelligent Controller Design for a Chemical Process

OpenAIRE

Mr. Glan Devadhas G; Dr.Pushpakumar S.

2010-01-01

Chemical process control is a challenging problem due to the strong on*line non*linearity and extreme sensitivity to disturbances of the process. Ziegler – Nichols tuned PI and PID controllers are found to provide poor performances for higher*order and non–linear systems. This paper presents an application of one*step*ahead fuzzy as well as ANFIS (adaptive*network*based fuzzy inference system) tuning scheme for an Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor CSTR process. The controller is designed based ...

An approach to separating the levels of hierarchical structure building in language and mathematics.

Science.gov (United States)

Makuuchi, Michiru; Bahlmann, Jörg; Friederici, Angela D

2012-07-19

We aimed to dissociate two levels of hierarchical structure building in language and mathematics, namely 'first-level' (the build-up of hierarchical structure with externally given elements) and 'second-level' (the build-up of hierarchical structure with internally represented elements produced by first-level processes). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated these processes in three domains: sentence comprehension, arithmetic calculation (using Reverse Polish notation, which gives two operands followed by an operator) and a working memory control task. All tasks required the build-up of hierarchical structures at the first- and second-level, resulting in a similar computational hierarchy across language and mathematics, as well as in a working memory control task. Using a novel method that estimates the difference in the integration cost for conditions of different trial durations, we found an anterior-to-posterior functional organization in the prefrontal cortex, according to the level of hierarchy. Common to all domains, the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) supports first-level hierarchy building, while the dorsal pars opercularis (POd) subserves second-level hierarchy building, with lower activation for language compared with the other two tasks. These results suggest that the POd and the PMv support domain-general mechanisms for hierarchical structure building, with the POd being uniquely efficient for language.

Polymerization of Alkylsilanes on ZIF-8 to Hierarchical Siloxane Microspheres and Microflowers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Yang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs in the polymerization field remains comparatively rare up to now, let alone studies on the fabrication of polymer microstructures through a MOFs-catalyzed assembly process. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8, a well-known MOF for its chemical and thermal stabilities, was used to induce a polymerization reaction of saturated alkylsilanes for the first time. The reaction temperature was found to be critical for morphology control of the polymerized ZIF-siloxane composites. The polymerization of alkylsilanes by ZIF-8 at room temperature resulted in siloxane microspheres while rose petal-like microstructures were obtained at higher temperature. The effects of the reaction time on the structures of the polymerization products were also investigated and the polymerization reaction process was proposed. This work expands the field of MOFs’ applications and develops a reasonable method for the multidimensional assembly of MOFs building blocks into required structures or platforms for designing new kinds of hierarchical morphologies, which to our knowledge has not been previously investigated.

GREEN CHEMISTRY: NEW CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. A. Tykhomirova

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The review deals with the principles and guidelines of “Green chemistry” in comparison with the philosophy of nanotechnology. Modern philosophy and methodology of science research focus is on the process of the growth of scientific knowledge. Modern chemistry is complex, hierarchical, multilevel and multidimensional system. Philosophy of nanotechnology relies heavily on the value of scientism and the idea of domination of man over nature , there is an apology of human intervention in nature. “Green chemistry” is called “new thinking”of chemistry, philosophy of modern chemical research. The chemicals and processes in accordance with the principles of “Green chemistry” are considered not only in terms of production of substances and materials with desired properties, but also taking into account the consequences for the environment. In the “Green chemistry” created image of the “ideal customer” – he uses a minimum number of products understands the need to preserve the environment. Ideological landmark “Green chemistry” – co-evolution of man and nature, preservation of the biosphere. It emphasized the need to implement the ideology of “Green chemistry” in the training of future specialists.

Chemical Processing Division monthly report, November 1966

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reed, P.E.

1966-12-21

This report, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO for November 1966, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee-relations, and waste management.

Clinical time series prediction: Toward a hierarchical dynamical system framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zitao; Hauskrecht, Milos

2015-09-01

Developing machine learning and data mining algorithms for building temporal models of clinical time series is important for understanding of the patient condition, the dynamics of a disease, effect of various patient management interventions and clinical decision making. In this work, we propose and develop a novel hierarchical framework for modeling clinical time series data of varied length and with irregularly sampled observations. Our hierarchical dynamical system framework for modeling clinical time series combines advantages of the two temporal modeling approaches: the linear dynamical system and the Gaussian process. We model the irregularly sampled clinical time series by using multiple Gaussian process sequences in the lower level of our hierarchical framework and capture the transitions between Gaussian processes by utilizing the linear dynamical system. The experiments are conducted on the complete blood count (CBC) panel data of 1000 post-surgical cardiac patients during their hospitalization. Our framework is evaluated and compared to multiple baseline approaches in terms of the mean absolute prediction error and the absolute percentage error. We tested our framework by first learning the time series model from data for the patients in the training set, and then using it to predict future time series values for the patients in the test set. We show that our model outperforms multiple existing models in terms of its predictive accuracy. Our method achieved a 3.13% average prediction accuracy improvement on ten CBC lab time series when it was compared against the best performing baseline. A 5.25% average accuracy improvement was observed when only short-term predictions were considered. A new hierarchical dynamical system framework that lets us model irregularly sampled time series data is a promising new direction for modeling clinical time series and for improving their predictive performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical time series prediction: towards a hierarchical dynamical system framework

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zitao; Hauskrecht, Milos

2014-01-01

Objective Developing machine learning and data mining algorithms for building temporal models of clinical time series is important for understanding of the patient condition, the dynamics of a disease, effect of various patient management interventions and clinical decision making. In this work, we propose and develop a novel hierarchical framework for modeling clinical time series data of varied length and with irregularly sampled observations. Materials and methods Our hierarchical dynamical system framework for modeling clinical time series combines advantages of the two temporal modeling approaches: the linear dynamical system and the Gaussian process. We model the irregularly sampled clinical time series by using multiple Gaussian process sequences in the lower level of our hierarchical framework and capture the transitions between Gaussian processes by utilizing the linear dynamical system. The experiments are conducted on the complete blood count (CBC) panel data of 1000 post-surgical cardiac patients during their hospitalization. Our framework is evaluated and compared to multiple baseline approaches in terms of the mean absolute prediction error and the absolute percentage error. Results We tested our framework by first learning the time series model from data for the patient in the training set, and then applying the model in order to predict future time series values on the patients in the test set. We show that our model outperforms multiple existing models in terms of its predictive accuracy. Our method achieved a 3.13% average prediction accuracy improvement on ten CBC lab time series when it was compared against the best performing baseline. A 5.25% average accuracy improvement was observed when only short-term predictions were considered. Conclusion A new hierarchical dynamical system framework that lets us model irregularly sampled time series data is a promising new direction for modeling clinical time series and for improving their predictive

Hierarchical CuO hollow microspheres: Controlled synthesis for enhanced lithium storage performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guan Xiangfeng; Li Liping; Li Guangshe; Fu Zhengwei; Zheng Jing; Yan Tingjiang

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: Hierarchical CuO microspheres with hollow interiors were formed through self-wrapping of a single layer of radically oriented CuO nanorods, and these microspheres showed excellent cycle performance and enhanced lithium storage capacity. Display Omitted Research highlights: → Hierarchical CuO hollow microspheres were prepared by a hydrothermal method. → The CuO hollow microspheres were assembled from radically oriented nanorods. → The growth mechanism was proposed to proceed via self-assembly and Ostwald's ripening. → The microspheres showed good cycle performance and enhanced lithium storage capacity. → Hierarchical microstructures with hollow interiors promote electrochemical property. - Abstract: In this work, hierarchical CuO hollow microspheres were hydrothermally prepared without use of any surfactants or templates. By controlling the formation reaction conditions and monitoring the relevant reaction processes using time-dependent experiments, it is demonstrated that hierarchical CuO microspheres with hollow interiors were formed through self-wrapping of a single layer of radically oriented CuO nanorods, and that hierarchical spheres could be tuned to show different morphologies and microstructures. As a consequence, the formation mechanism was proposed to proceed via a combined process of self-assembly and Ostwald's ripening. Further, these hollow microspheres were initiated as the anode material in lithium ion batteries, which showed excellent cycle performance and enhanced lithium storage capacity, most likely because of the synergetic effect of small diffusion lengths in building blocks of nanorods and proper void space that buffers the volume expansion. The strategy reported in this work is reproducible, which may help to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of transition metal oxide-based anode materials via designing the hollow structures necessary for developing lithium ion batteries and the relevant

Chemical Changes in Carbohydrates Produced by Thermal Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoseney, R. Carl

1984-01-01

Discusses chemical changes that occur in the carbohydrates found in food products when these products are subjected to thermal processing. Topics considered include browning reactions, starch found in food systems, hydrolysis of carbohydrates, extrusion cooking, processing of cookies and candies, and alterations in gums. (JN)

Neutrosophic Hierarchical Clustering Algoritms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rıdvan Şahin

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Interval neutrosophic set (INS is a generalization of interval valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS, whose the membership and non-membership values of elements consist of fuzzy range, while single valued neutrosophic set (SVNS is regarded as extension of intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS. In this paper, we extend the hierarchical clustering techniques proposed for IFSs and IVIFSs to SVNSs and INSs respectively. Based on the traditional hierarchical clustering procedure, the single valued neutrosophic aggregation operator, and the basic distance measures between SVNSs, we define a single valued neutrosophic hierarchical clustering algorithm for clustering SVNSs. Then we extend the algorithm to classify an interval neutrosophic data. Finally, we present some numerical examples in order to show the effectiveness and availability of the developed clustering algorithms.

A hierarchical modeling methodology for the definition and selection of requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Dufresne, Stephane

This dissertation describes the development of a requirements analysis methodology that takes into account the concept of operations and the hierarchical decomposition of aerospace systems. At the core of the methodology, the Analytic Network Process (ANP) is used to ensure the traceability between the qualitative and quantitative information present in the hierarchical model. The proposed methodology is implemented to the requirements definition of a hurricane tracker Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Three research objectives are identified in this work; (1) improve the requirements mapping process by matching the stakeholder expectations with the concept of operations, systems and available resources; (2) reduce the epistemic uncertainty surrounding the requirements and requirements mapping; and (3) improve the requirements down-selection process by taking into account the level of importance of the criteria and the available resources. Several challenges are associated with the identification and definition of requirements. The complexity of the system implies that a large number of requirements are needed to define the systems. These requirements are defined early in the conceptual design, where the level of knowledge is relatively low and the level of uncertainty is large. The proposed methodology intends to increase the level of knowledge and reduce the level of uncertainty by guiding the design team through a structured process. To address these challenges, a new methodology is created to flow-down the requirements from the stakeholder expectations to the systems alternatives. A taxonomy of requirements is created to classify the information gathered during the problem definition. Subsequently, the operational and systems functions and measures of effectiveness are integrated to a hierarchical model to allow the traceability of the information. Monte Carlo methods are used to evaluate the variations of the hierarchical model elements and consequently reduce the

Formic Acid Oxidation over Hierarchical Porous Carbon Containing PtPd Catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Pastor

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The use of high surface monolithic carbon as support for catalysts offers important advantage, such as elimination of the ohmic drop originated in the interparticle contact and improved mass transport by ad-hoc pore design. Moreover, the approach discussed here has the advantage that it allows the synthesis of materials having a multimodal porous size distribution, with each pore size contributing to the desired properties. On the other hand, the monolithic nature of the porous support also imposes new challenges for metal loading. In this work, the use of Hierarchical Porous Carbon (HPC as support for PtPd nanoparticles was explored. Three hierarchical porous carbon samples (denoted as HPC-300, HPC-400 and HPC-500 with main pore size around 300, 400 and 500 nm respectively, are used as porous support. PtPd nanoparticles were loaded by impregnation and subsequent chemical reduction with NaBH4. The resulting material was characterized by EDX, XRD and conventional electrochemical techniques. The catalytic activity toward formic acid and methanol electrooxidation was evaluated by electrochemical methods, and the results compared with commercial carbon supported PtPd. The Hierarchical Porous Carbon support discussed here seems to be promising for use in DFAFC anodes.

The Hierarchical Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Sofron

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This paper is focused on the hierarchical perspective, one of the methods for representing space that was used before the discovery of the Renaissance linear perspective. The hierarchical perspective has a more or less pronounced scientific character and its study offers us a clear image of the way the representatives of the cultures that developed it used to perceive the sensitive reality. This type of perspective is an original method of representing three-dimensional space on a flat surface, which characterises the art of Ancient Egypt and much of the art of the Middle Ages, being identified in the Eastern European Byzantine art, as well as in the Western European Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque art. At the same time, the hierarchical perspective is also present in naive painting and infantile drawing. Reminiscences of this method can be recognised also in the works of some precursors of the Italian Renaissance. The hierarchical perspective can be viewed as a subjective ranking criterion, according to which the elements are visually represented by taking into account their relevance within the image while perception is ignored. This paper aims to show how the main objective of the artists of those times was not to faithfully represent the objective reality, but rather to emphasize the essence of the world and its perennial aspects. This may represent a possible explanation for the refusal of perspective in the Egyptian, Romanesque and Byzantine painting, characterised by a marked two-dimensionality.

Flower-like hierarchical structures consisting of porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets and their gas sensing properties to volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng, Fanli, E-mail: flmeng@iim.ac.cn [Research Center for Biomimetic Functional Materials and Sensing Devices, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Hou, Nannan [Research Center for Biomimetic Functional Materials and Sensing Devices, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Ge, Sheng [Department of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu 241000 (China); Sun, Bai [Research Center for Biomimetic Functional Materials and Sensing Devices, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Jin, Zhen, E-mail: zjin@iim.ac.cn [Research Center for Biomimetic Functional Materials and Sensing Devices, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Shen, Wei; Kong, Lingtao; Guo, Zheng [Research Center for Biomimetic Functional Materials and Sensing Devices, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Sun, Yufeng, E-mail: sunyufeng118@126.com [Department of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu 241000 (China); Wu, Hao; Wang, Chen [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Li, Minqiang [Research Center for Biomimetic Functional Materials and Sensing Devices, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)

2015-03-25

Highlights: • Flower-like hierarchical structures consisting of porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets were synthesized. • The flower-like hierarchical structured ZnO exhibited higher response and shorter response and recovery times. • The sensing mechanism of the flower-like hierarchical has been systematically analyzed. - Abstract: Flower-like hierarchical structures consisting of porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets (FHPSCZNs) were synthesized by a one-pot wet-chemical method followed by an annealing treatment, which combined the advantages between flower-like hierarchical structure and porous single-crystalline structure. XRD, SEM and HRTEM were used to characterize the synthesized FHPSCZN samples. The sensing properties of the FHPSCZN sensor were also investigated by comparing with ZnO powder sensor, which exhibited higher response and shorter response and recovery times. The sensing mechanism of the FHPSCZN sensor has been further analyzed from the aspects of electronic transport and gas diffusion.

Flower-like hierarchical structures consisting of porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets and their gas sensing properties to volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Fanli; Hou, Nannan; Ge, Sheng; Sun, Bai; Jin, Zhen; Shen, Wei; Kong, Lingtao; Guo, Zheng; Sun, Yufeng; Wu, Hao; Wang, Chen; Li, Minqiang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Flower-like hierarchical structures consisting of porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets were synthesized. • The flower-like hierarchical structured ZnO exhibited higher response and shorter response and recovery times. • The sensing mechanism of the flower-like hierarchical has been systematically analyzed. - Abstract: Flower-like hierarchical structures consisting of porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets (FHPSCZNs) were synthesized by a one-pot wet-chemical method followed by an annealing treatment, which combined the advantages between flower-like hierarchical structure and porous single-crystalline structure. XRD, SEM and HRTEM were used to characterize the synthesized FHPSCZN samples. The sensing properties of the FHPSCZN sensor were also investigated by comparing with ZnO powder sensor, which exhibited higher response and shorter response and recovery times. The sensing mechanism of the FHPSCZN sensor has been further analyzed from the aspects of electronic transport and gas diffusion

Hierarchical cluster analysis of technical replicates to identify interferents in untargeted mass spectrometry metabolomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Caesar, Lindsay K; Kvalheim, Olav M; Cech, Nadja B

2018-08-27

Mass spectral data sets often contain experimental artefacts, and data filtering prior to statistical analysis is crucial to extract reliable information. This is particularly true in untargeted metabolomics analyses, where the analyte(s) of interest are not known a priori. It is often assumed that chemical interferents (i.e. solvent contaminants such as plasticizers) are consistent across samples, and can be removed by background subtraction from blank injections. On the contrary, it is shown here that chemical contaminants may vary in abundance across each injection, potentially leading to their misidentification as relevant sample components. With this metabolomics study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of replicate injections (technical replicates) as a methodology to identify chemical interferents and reduce their contaminating contribution to metabolomics models. Pools of metabolites with varying complexity were prepared from the botanical Angelica keiskei Koidzumi and spiked with known metabolites. Each set of pools was analyzed in triplicate and at multiple concentrations using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Before filtering, HCA failed to cluster replicates in the data sets. To identify contaminant peaks, we developed a filtering process that evaluated the relative peak area variance of each variable within triplicate injections. These interferent peaks were found across all samples, but did not show consistent peak area from injection to injection, even when evaluating the same chemical sample. This filtering process identified 128 ions that appear to originate from the UPLC-MS system. Data sets collected for a high number of pools with comparatively simple chemical composition were highly influenced by these chemical interferents, as were samples that were analyzed at a low concentration. When chemical interferent masses were removed, technical replicates clustered in

A hierarchical instrumental decision theory of nicotine dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hogarth, Lee; Troisi, Joseph R

2015-01-01

It is important to characterize the learning processes governing tobacco-seeking in order to understand how best to treat this behavior. Most drug learning theories have adopted a Pavlovian framework wherein the conditioned response is the main motivational process. We favor instead a hierarchical instrumental decision account, wherein expectations about the instrumental contingency between voluntary tobacco-seeking and the receipt of nicotine reward determines the probability of executing this behavior. To support this view, we review titration and nicotine discrimination research showing that internal signals for deprivation/satiation modulate expectations about the current incentive value of smoking, thereby modulating the propensity of this behavior. We also review research on cue-reactivity which has shown that external smoking cues modulate expectations about the probability of the tobacco-seeking response being effective, thereby modulating the propensity of this behavior. Economic decision theory is then considered to elucidate how expectations about the value and probability of response-nicotine contingency are integrated to form an overall utility estimate for that option for comparison with qualitatively different, nonsubstitute reinforcers, to determine response selection. As an applied test for this hierarchical instrumental decision framework, we consider how well it accounts for individual liability to smoking uptake and perseveration, pharmacotherapy, cue-extinction therapies, and plain packaging. We conclude that the hierarchical instrumental account is successful in reconciling this broad range of phenomenon precisely because it accepts that multiple diverse sources of internal and external information must be integrated to shape the decision to smoke.

Adaptive hierarchical multi-agent organizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghijsen, M.; Jansweijer, W.N.H.; Wielinga, B.J.; Babuška, R.; Groen, F.C.A.

2010-01-01

In this chapter, we discuss the design of adaptive hierarchical organizations for multi-agent systems (MAS). Hierarchical organizations have a number of advantages such as their ability to handle complex problems and their scalability to large organizations. By introducing adaptivity in the

Chemical Processing Department monthly report, October 1963

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, J. F.; Johnson, W. E.; Reinker, P. H.; Warren, J. H.; McCullugh, R. W.; Harmon, M. K.; Gartin, W. J.; LaFollette, T. G.; Shaw, H. P.; Frank, W. S.; Grim, K. G.; Warren, J. H.

1963-11-21

This report, for October 1963 from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; employee relations; weapons manufacturing operation; and safety and security.

Effect of channel aspect ratio on chemical recuperation process in advanced aeroengines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Silong; Cui, Naigang; Xiong, Yuefei; Feng, Yu; Qin, Jiang; Bao, Wen

2017-01-01

The working process of an advanced aeroengine such as scramjet with endothermic hydrocarbon fuel cooling is a chemical recuperative cycle. The design of cooling channel in terms of engine real working conditions is very important for the chemical recuperation process. To study the effects of channel aspect ratio (AR) on chemical recuperation process of advanced aeroengines, three dimensional model of pyrolysis coolant flow inside asymmetrical rectangular cooling channels with fins is introduced and validated through experiments. Cases when AR varies from 1 to 8 are carried out. In the pyrolysis zone of the cooling channel, decreasing the channel aspect ratio can reduce the temperature difference and non-uniformity of fuel conversion in the channel cross section, and it can also increase the final conversion and corresponding chemical heat absorption. A small channel aspect ratio is beneficial for the chemical recuperation process and can guarantee the engine cooling performance in the pyrolysis zone of the cooling channel. - Highlights: • Large non-uniformity of conversion is bad for the chemical recuperation. • Small channel aspect ratio is beneficial for improving the chemical recuperation effectiveness. • Small channel aspect ratio is also beneficial for reducing the engine wall temperature.

Simultaneous formation of multiscale hierarchical surface morphologies through sequential wrinkling and folding

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Sun, Qingyang; Xiao, Jianliang

2018-02-01

Highly organized hierarchical surface morphologies possess various intriguing properties that could find important potential applications. In this paper, we demonstrate a facile approach to simultaneously form multiscale hierarchical surface morphologies through sequential wrinkling. This method combines surface wrinkling induced by thermal expansion and mechanical strain on a three-layer structure composed of an aluminum film, a hard Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film, and a soft PDMS substrate. Deposition of the aluminum film on hard PDMS induces biaxial wrinkling due to thermal expansion mismatch, and recovering the prestrain in the soft PDMS substrate leads to wrinkling of the hard PDMS film. In total, three orders of wrinkling patterns form in this process, with wavelength and amplitude spanning 3 orders of magnitude in length scale. By increasing the prestrain in the soft PDMS substrate, a hierarchical wrinkling-folding structure was also obtained. This approach can be easily extended to other thin films for fabrication of multiscale hierarchical surface morphologies with potential applications in different areas.

Chemical precipitation processes for the treatment of aqueous radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

Chemical precipitation by coagulation-flocculation and sedimentation has been commonly used for many years to treat liquid (aqueous) radioactive waste. This method allows the volume of waste to be substantially reduced for further treatment or conditioning and the bulk of the waste to de discharged. Chemical precipitation is usually applied in combination with other methods as part of a comprehensive waste management scheme. As with any other technology, chemical precipitation is constantly being improved to reduce cost to increase the effectiveness and safety on the entire waste management system. The purpose of this report is to review and update the information provided in Technical Reports Series No. 89, Chemical Treatment of Radioactive Wastes, published in 1968. In this report the chemical methods currently in use for the treatment of low and intermediate level aqueous radioactive wastes are described and illustrated. Comparisons are given of the advantages and limitations of the processes, and it is noted that good decontamination and volume reduction are not the only criteria according to which a particular process should be selected. Emphasis has been placed on the need to carefully characterize each waste stream, to examine fully the effect of segregation and the importance of looking at the entire operation and not just the treatment process when planning a liquid waste treatment facility. This general approach includes local requirements and possibilities, discharge authorization, management of the concentrates, ICRP recommendations and economics. It appears that chemical precipitation process and solid-liquid separation techniques will continue to be widely used in liquid radioactive waste treatment. Current research and development is showing that combining different processes in one treatment plant can provide higher decontamination factors and smaller secondary waste arisings. Some of these processes are already being incorporated into new and

Hierarchical video summarization

Science.gov (United States)

Ratakonda, Krishna; Sezan, M. Ibrahim; Crinon, Regis J.

1998-12-01

We address the problem of key-frame summarization of vide in the absence of any a priori information about its content. This is a common problem that is encountered in home videos. We propose a hierarchical key-frame summarization algorithm where a coarse-to-fine key-frame summary is generated. A hierarchical key-frame summary facilitates multi-level browsing where the user can quickly discover the content of the video by accessing its coarsest but most compact summary and then view a desired segment of the video with increasingly more detail. At the finest level, the summary is generated on the basis of color features of video frames, using an extension of a recently proposed key-frame extraction algorithm. The finest level key-frames are recursively clustered using a novel pairwise K-means clustering approach with temporal consecutiveness constraint. We also address summarization of MPEG-2 compressed video without fully decoding the bitstream. We also propose efficient mechanisms that facilitate decoding the video when the hierarchical summary is utilized in browsing and playback of video segments starting at selected key-frames.

New life for the chemical industry: the significance of coal gasification. [Japan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, Y

1985-01-01

The current status of the cement, petrochemical and chemical divisions of Ube Industries, Ltd. is outlined. Accounts are given of the outlook for the petrochemical division and how it is coping with the present situation; of how the application of new coal gasification technology and the resulting maintenance of the competitive power of the company's ammonia on international markets has revived the chemical division; and of how the industrial gases division is benefiting from a 20% cut in gasification costs, obtained using the new gasification process. Other topics mentioned include the increasing specialization of the chemical division; the accelerated pace of development resulting from joint efforts by industry, government and the universities; the eradication of the adverse effects of a hierarchical organizational structure; and pioneering technology development where the emphasis is not on self-completion.

Integrated Process Design, Control and Analysis of Intensified Chemical Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mansouri, Seyed Soheil

chemical processes; for example, intensified processes such as reactive distillation. Most importantly, it identifies and eliminates potentially promising design alternatives that may have controllability problems later. To date, a number of methodologies have been proposed and applied on various problems......, that the same principles that apply to a binary non-reactive compound system are valid also for a binary-element or a multi-element system. Therefore, it is advantageous to employ the element based method for multicomponent reaction-separation systems. It is shown that the same design-control principles...

Waste processing of chemical cleaning solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, G.A.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on chemical cleaning solutions containing high concentrations of organic chelating wastes that are difficult to reduce in volume using existing technology. Current methods for evaporating low-level radiative waste solutions often use high maintenance evaporators that can be costly and inefficient. The heat transfer surfaces of these evaporators are easily fouled, and their maintenance requires a significant labor investment. To address the volume reduction of spent, low-level radioactive, chelating-based chemical cleaning solutions, ECOSAFE Liquid Volume Reduction System (LVRS) has been developed. The LVRS is based on submerged combustion evaporator technology that was modified for treatment of low-level radiative liquid wastes. This system was developed in 1988 and was used to process 180,000 gallons of waste at Oconee Nuclear Station

Safety Considerations in the Chemical Process Industries

Science.gov (United States)

Englund, Stanley M.

There is an increased emphasis on chemical process safety as a result of highly publicized accidents. Public awareness of these accidents has provided a driving force for industry to improve its safety record. There has been an increasing amount of government regulation.

Hierarchically nested river landform sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Pasternack, G. B.; Weber, M. D.; Brown, R. A.; Baig, D.

2017-12-01

River corridors exhibit landforms nested within landforms repeatedly down spatial scales. In this study we developed, tested, and implemented a new way to create river classifications by mapping domains of fluvial processes with respect to the hierarchical organization of topographic complexity that drives fluvial dynamism. We tested this approach on flow convergence routing, a morphodynamic mechanism with different states depending on the structure of nondimensional topographic variability. Five nondimensional landform types with unique functionality (nozzle, wide bar, normal channel, constricted pool, and oversized) represent this process at any flow. When this typology is nested at base flow, bankfull, and floodprone scales it creates a system with up to 125 functional types. This shows how a single mechanism produces complex dynamism via nesting. Given the classification, we answered nine specific scientific questions to investigate the abundance, sequencing, and hierarchical nesting of these new landform types using a 35-km gravel/cobble river segment of the Yuba River in California. The nested structure of flow convergence routing landforms found in this study revealed that bankfull landforms are nested within specific floodprone valley landform types, and these types control bankfull morphodynamics during moderate to large floods. As a result, this study calls into question the prevailing theory that the bankfull channel of a gravel/cobble river is controlled by in-channel, bankfull, and/or small flood flows. Such flows are too small to initiate widespread sediment transport in a gravel/cobble river with topographic complexity.

Chemical Processing effects on the radiation doses measured by Film Dosimeter System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihai, F.

2009-01-01

Halide film dosimetry is a quantitative method of measurement of the radiation doses. The fog density and chemical processing of the dosimeter film affect the radiation dose measurement accuracy. This work presents the effect of the developer solution concentration on the response of the dosimetric film which different fog densities. Thus, three batches of film, dosimeters with following fog density 0.312 ± 1.31 %, 0.71 ± 0.59% and 0.77 ± 0.81 %, were irradiated to 137 Cs standard source to dose value of 1mSv. The halide films have been chemical processed at different concentrations of the developer solution: 20 %; 14.29 %; 11.11%; all other physics-chemical conditions in baths of development have been kept constants. Concentration of 20% is considered to be chemical processed standard conditions of the films. In case of the films exposed to 1 mSv dose, optical density recorded on the low fog films processed at 20% developer solution is rather closed of high fog film optical densities processed at 11.11% developer solution concentration. Also, the chemical processing effect on the image contrast was taken into consideration

Catechol-Based Hydrogel for Chemical Information Processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eunkyoung Kim

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Catechols offer diverse properties and are used in biology to perform various functions that range from adhesion (e.g., mussel proteins to neurotransmission (e.g., dopamine, and mimicking the capabilities of biological catechols have yielded important new materials (e.g., polydopamine. It is well known that catechols are also redox-active and we have observed that biomimetic catechol-modified chitosan films are redox-active and possess interesting molecular electronic properties. In particular, these films can accept, store and donate electrons, and thus offer redox-capacitor capabilities. We are enlisting these capabilities to bridge communication between biology and electronics. Specifically, we are investigating an interactive redox-probing approach to access redox-based chemical information and convert this information into an electrical modality that facilitates analysis by methods from signal processing. In this review, we describe the broad vision and then cite recent examples in which the catechol–chitosan redox-capacitor can assist in accessing and understanding chemical information. Further, this redox-capacitor can be coupled with synthetic biology to enhance the power of chemical information processing. Potentially, the progress with this biomimetic catechol–chitosan film may even help in understanding how biology uses the redox properties of catechols for redox signaling.

Outline of the Chemical Processing Facility (CPF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arita, Katsuhiko

1978-01-01

Concerning the Chemical Processing Facility (CPF), a high level radioactive material research facility, to be installed in Tokai Works of Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC), the detailed design and the governmental safety inspection were finished. The construction has been already started, and it will be completed in 1980. Under the national policy of establishing a nuclear fuel cycle, PNC is now carrying out the development of its downstream technology. The objects of the Chemical Processing Facility are the researches of the treatment techniques of high level radioactive liquid wastes from fuel reprocessing and of the reprocessing of fast reactor fuel. The following matters are described: purpose of the CPF, i.e. fast reactor fuel reprocessing and high-level liquid waste treatment; construction of the CPF, i.e. buildings, cells and an exhaust stack; test systems, i.e. fuel reprocessing and liquid waste vitrification; and facility safety. (Mori, K.)

Controllable fabrication of large-scale hierarchical silver nanostructures for long-term stable and ultrasensitive SERS substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jing; Fang, Jinghuai; Cheng, Mingfei; Gong, Xiao

2016-09-01

In this work, we aim to prepare effective and long-term stable hierarchical silver nanostructures serving as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates simply via displacement reaction on Aluminum foils. In our experiments, Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is used as cationic surfactant to control the velocity of displacement reaction as well as the hierarchical morphology of the resultant. We find that the volume ratio of CTAB to AgNO3 plays a dominant role in regulating the hierarchical structures besides the influence of displacement reaction time. These as-prepared hierarchical morphologies demonstrate excellent SERS sensitivity, structural stability and reproducibility with low values of relative standard deviation less than 20 %. The high SERS analytical enhancement factor of ~6.7 × 108 is achieved even at the concentration of Crystal Violet (CV) as low as 10-7 M, which is sufficient for single-molecule detection. The detection limit of CV is 10-9 M in this study. We believe that this simple and rapid approach integrating advantages of low-cost production and high reproducibility would be a promising way to facilitate routine SERS detection and will get wide applications in chemical synthesis.

Transfer printing of 3D hierarchical gold structures using a sequentially imprinted polymer stamp

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Fengxiang; Low, Hong Yee

2008-01-01

Complex three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical structures on polymeric materials are fabricated through a process referred to as sequential imprinting. In this work, the sequentially imprinted polystyrene film is used as a soft stamp to replicate hierarchical structures onto gold (Au) films, and the Au structures are then transferred to a substrate by transfer printing at an elevated temperature and pressure. Continuous and isolated 3D structures can be selectively fabricated with the assistance of thermo-mechanical deformation of the polymer stamp. Hierarchical Au structures are achieved without the need for a corresponding three-dimensionally patterned mold

Defense Waste Processing Facility Nitric- Glycolic Flowsheet Chemical Process Cell Chemistry: Part 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zamecnik, J. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Edwards, T. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-06-06

The conversions of nitrite to nitrate, the destruction of glycolate, and the conversion of glycolate to formate and oxalate were modeled for the Nitric-Glycolic flowsheet using data from Chemical Process Cell (CPC) simulant runs conducted by Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) from 2011 to 2016. The goal of this work was to develop empirical correlation models to predict these values from measureable variables from the chemical process so that these quantities could be predicted a-priori from the sludge or simulant composition and measurable processing variables. The need for these predictions arises from the need to predict the REDuction/OXidation (REDOX) state of the glass from the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melter. This report summarizes the work on these correlations based on the aforementioned data. Previous work on these correlations was documented in a technical report covering data from 2011-2015. This current report supersedes this previous report. Further refinement of the models as additional data are collected is recommended.

Hierarchical structure of ecological and non-ecological processes of differentiation shaped ongoing gastropod radiation in the Malawi Basin.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Bocxlaer, Bert

2017-09-13

Ecological processes, non-ecological processes or a combination of both may cause reproductive isolation and speciation, but their specific roles and potentially complex interactions in evolutionary radiations remain poorly understood, which defines a central knowledge gap at the interface of microevolution and macroevolution. Here I examine genome scans in combination with phenotypic and environmental data to disentangle how ecological and non-ecological processes contributed to population differentiation and speciation in an ongoing radiation of Lanistes gastropods from the Malawi Basin. I found a remarkable hierarchical structure of differentiation mechanisms in space and time: neutral and mutation-order processes are older and occur mainly between regions, whereas more recent adaptive processes are the main driver of genetic differentiation and reproductive isolation within regions. The strongest differentiation occurs between habitats and between regions, i.e. when ecological and non-ecological processes act synergistically. The structured occurrence of these processes based on the specific geographical setting and ecological opportunities strongly influenced the potential for evolutionary radiation. The results highlight the importance of interactions between various mechanisms of differentiation in evolutionary radiations, and suggest that non-ecological processes are important in adaptive radiations, including those of cichlids. Insight into such interactions is critical to understanding large-scale patterns of organismal diversity. © 2017 The Author(s).

Easy fabrication and high electrochemical capacitive performance of hierarchical porous carbon by a method combining liquid-liquid phase separation and pyrolysis process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Hui-li; Ran, Fen; Zhang, Xuan-xuan; Song, Hai-ming; Jing, Wen-xia; Shen, Kui-wen; Kong, Ling-bin; Kang, Long

2014-01-01

A hierarchical porous carbon membrane was designed and prepared through a method combining liquid-liquid phase separation and then pyrolysis process using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as precursor. The results of scan electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller characterization reveal that the 3D nanoscaled architecture with hierarchical porous structure was achieved, which not only provide a continuous electron pathway to ensure good electrical contact, but also facilitate ion transport by shortening diffusion pathways. The effect of PAN concentration in casting solution on structure feature of carbon membrane was also studied, indicating that the membrane thickness with different porous structure can be mediated by PAN concentration. As the electrode material for supercapacitor, a high specific capacitance of 277.0 F g −1 was attained at a current density of 5 mA cm −2 and long cycle life of 90.0% capacity retention was obtained after 2000 charge-discharge cycles in 2 mol L −1 KOH solution

Textual and chemical information processing: different domains but similar algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Willett

2000-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the extent to which algorithms developed for the processing of textual databases are also applicable to the processing of chemical structure databases, and vice versa. Applications discussed include: an algorithm for distribution sorting that has been applied to the design of screening systems for rapid chemical substructure searching; the use of measures of inter-molecular structural similarity for the analysis of hypertext graphs; a genetic algorithm for calculating term weights for relevance feedback searching for determining whether a molecule is likely to exhibit biological activity; and the use of data fusion to combine the results of different chemical similarity searches.

Advances in chemical engineering in nuclear and process industries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-06-01

Symposium on Advances in Chemical Engineering in Nuclear and Process Industries dealt with a wide spectrum of areas encompassing various industries such as nuclear, fertilizer, petrochemical, refinery and cement. The topics covered in the symposium dealt with the advancements in the existing fields of science and technologies as well as in some of the emerging technologies such as membrane technology, bio-chemical and photo-chemical engineering etc. with a special emphasis on nuclear related aspects. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately.

Advances in chemical engineering in nuclear and process industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-06-01

Symposium on Advances in Chemical Engineering in Nuclear and Process Industries dealt with a wide spectrum of areas encompassing various industries such as nuclear, fertilizer, petrochemical, refinery and cement. The topics covered in the symposium dealt with the advancements in the existing fields of science and technologies as well as in some of the emerging technologies such as membrane technology, bio-chemical and photo-chemical engineering etc. with a special emphasis on nuclear related aspects. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

Material compatibility and corrosion control of the KWU chemical cleaning process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odar, S.

1994-01-01

The concentrations of salt impurities within the deposits on the tube sheet and in the tube to tube-support-plate crevices can induce a variety of corrosion mechanisms on steam generator tubes. One of the most effective ways of counteracting corrosion mechanisms and thus of improving steam generator performance is to clean the steam generators and keep them in a clean condition. As shown by field results chemical cleaning is a way of removing hazardous deposits from steam generators. All available chemical cleaning processes use inhibitors to control the corrosion except the KWU chemical cleaning process. In this article the corrosion control technique of KWU Chemical Cleaning Process without using conventional inhibitors will be explained and the state of the field experience with respect to material compatibility will be presented. (author). 4 figs., 1 tab., 8 refs

Processes for converting biomass-derived feedstocks to chemicals and liquid fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Held, Andrew; Woods, Elizabeth; Cortright, Randy; Gray, Matthew

2018-04-17

The present invention provides processes, methods, and systems for converting biomass-derived feedstocks to liquid fuels and chemicals. The method generally includes the reaction of a hydrolysate from a biomass deconstruction process with hydrogen and a catalyst to produce a reaction product comprising one of more oxygenated compounds. The process also includes reacting the reaction product with a condensation catalyst to produce C.sub.4+ compounds useful as fuels and chemicals.

Processes for converting biomass-derived feedstocks to chemicals and liquid fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Held, Andrew; Woods, Elizabeth; Cortright, Randy; Gray, Matthew

2017-05-23

The present invention provides processes, methods, and systems for converting biomass-derived feedstocks to liquid fuels and chemicals. The method generally includes the reaction of a hydrolysate from a biomass deconstruction process with hydrogen and a catalyst to produce a reaction product comprising one of more oxygenated compounds. The process also includes reacting the reaction product with a condensation catalyst to produce C.sub.4+ compounds useful as fuels and chemicals.

A Hierarchal Risk Assessment Model Using the Evidential Reasoning Rule

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoxiao Ji

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to develop a hierarchical risk assessment model using the newly-developed evidential reasoning (ER rule, which constitutes a generic conjunctive probabilistic reasoning process. In this paper, we first provide a brief introduction to the basics of the ER rule and emphasize the strengths for representing and aggregating uncertain information from multiple experts and sources. Further, we discuss the key steps of developing the hierarchical risk assessment framework systematically, including (1 formulation of risk assessment hierarchy; (2 representation of both qualitative and quantitative information; (3 elicitation of attribute weights and information reliabilities; (4 aggregation of assessment information using the ER rule and (5 quantification and ranking of risks using utility-based transformation. The proposed hierarchical risk assessment framework can potentially be implemented to various complex and uncertain systems. A case study on the fire/explosion risk assessment of marine vessels demonstrates the applicability of the proposed risk assessment model.

Hierarchical 3C-SiC nanowires as stable photocatalyst for organic dye degradation under visible light irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Judong; Chen, Jianjun; Xin, Lipeng; Wang, Mingming

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: The photocatalytic performance was enhanced by hierarchical nanostructural SiC nanowires due to the increased specific surface areas and efficient incident light scattering. The positive effect of SiO 2 layer growth on the surface of nanowires during the catalytic process on the high decolorization efficiency of SiC nanowires was attributed to SiO 2 surface oxygen vacancies. -- Highlights: • High decolorization rate of methylene blue using hierarchical 3C-SiC nanowires was obtained. • The effect of methylene blue with different concentration to catalytic result was investigated. • The photocatalytic reaction mechanism of degrading methylene blue was explained. • The SiO 2 layer generating on nanowire surface in the catalytic process was analyzed. -- Abstract: 3C-SiC nanowires with hierarchical structure were synthesized by sol–gel carbothermal reduction method. The photocatalytic property of SiC nanowires was investigated. 3C-SiC hierarchical nanowires exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic activity by accelerating the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue solution under visible light irradiation. Methylene blue was degraded efficiently after 5 h irradiation over the photocatalyst. The photocatalytic activity was affected by the initial concentration of the methylene blue solution. Silicon dioxide layer was observed on the surface of nanowires after the catalytic process. The positive effect of SiO 2 surface oxygen vacancies and 3C-SiC hierarchical nanostructures on the high decolorization efficiency of SiC nanowires was discussed. The detailed photocatalytic redox processes were also explained

Emissions model of waste treatment operations at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schindler, R.E.

1995-03-01

An integrated model of the waste treatment systems at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) was developed using a commercially-available process simulation software (ASPEN Plus) to calculate atmospheric emissions of hazardous chemicals for use in an application for an environmental permit to operate (PTO). The processes covered by the model are the Process Equipment Waste evaporator, High Level Liquid Waste evaporator, New Waste Calcining Facility and Liquid Effluent Treatment and Disposal facility. The processes are described along with the model and its assumptions. The model calculates emissions of NO x , CO, volatile acids, hazardous metals, and organic chemicals. Some calculated relative emissions are summarized and insights on building simulations are discussed

Evaluating Hierarchical Structure in Music Annotations.

Science.gov (United States)

McFee, Brian; Nieto, Oriol; Farbood, Morwaread M; Bello, Juan Pablo

2017-01-01

Music exhibits structure at multiple scales, ranging from motifs to large-scale functional components. When inferring the structure of a piece, different listeners may attend to different temporal scales, which can result in disagreements when they describe the same piece. In the field of music informatics research (MIR), it is common to use corpora annotated with structural boundaries at different levels. By quantifying disagreements between multiple annotators, previous research has yielded several insights relevant to the study of music cognition. First, annotators tend to agree when structural boundaries are ambiguous. Second, this ambiguity seems to depend on musical features, time scale, and genre. Furthermore, it is possible to tune current annotation evaluation metrics to better align with these perceptual differences. However, previous work has not directly analyzed the effects of hierarchical structure because the existing methods for comparing structural annotations are designed for "flat" descriptions, and do not readily generalize to hierarchical annotations. In this paper, we extend and generalize previous work on the evaluation of hierarchical descriptions of musical structure. We derive an evaluation metric which can compare hierarchical annotations holistically across multiple levels. sing this metric, we investigate inter-annotator agreement on the multilevel annotations of two different music corpora, investigate the influence of acoustic properties on hierarchical annotations, and evaluate existing hierarchical segmentation algorithms against the distribution of inter-annotator agreement.

Evaluating Hierarchical Structure in Music Annotations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian McFee

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Music exhibits structure at multiple scales, ranging from motifs to large-scale functional components. When inferring the structure of a piece, different listeners may attend to different temporal scales, which can result in disagreements when they describe the same piece. In the field of music informatics research (MIR, it is common to use corpora annotated with structural boundaries at different levels. By quantifying disagreements between multiple annotators, previous research has yielded several insights relevant to the study of music cognition. First, annotators tend to agree when structural boundaries are ambiguous. Second, this ambiguity seems to depend on musical features, time scale, and genre. Furthermore, it is possible to tune current annotation evaluation metrics to better align with these perceptual differences. However, previous work has not directly analyzed the effects of hierarchical structure because the existing methods for comparing structural annotations are designed for “flat” descriptions, and do not readily generalize to hierarchical annotations. In this paper, we extend and generalize previous work on the evaluation of hierarchical descriptions of musical structure. We derive an evaluation metric which can compare hierarchical annotations holistically across multiple levels. sing this metric, we investigate inter-annotator agreement on the multilevel annotations of two different music corpora, investigate the influence of acoustic properties on hierarchical annotations, and evaluate existing hierarchical segmentation algorithms against the distribution of inter-annotator agreement.

Chemical processes in neutron capture therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, B.J.

1975-01-01

Research into the radiation chemical effects of neutron capture therapy are described. In the use of neutron capture therapy for the treatment of brain tumours, compounds containing an activatable nuclide are selectively concentrated within tumour tissue and irradiated with neutrons. Target compounds for use in therapy must accumulate selectively in high concentrations in the tumour and must be non toxic to the patient. The most suitable of these are the boron hydrides. Radiation dosages, resulting from neutron capture in normal tissue constituents are tabulated. As part of the program to study the radiation-induced chemical processes undergone by boron target compounds, the radiolytic degredation of boron hydride and phenyl boric acid system was investigated. No direct dependence between the yield of the transient radiolytic species and the concentration of the B-compound was observed. (author)

Life cycle sustainability assessment of chemical processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Di; Lv, Liping; Ren, Jingzheng

2017-01-01

In this study, an integrated vector-based three-dimensional (3D) methodology for the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) of chemical process alternatives is proposed. In the methodology, a 3D criteria assessment system is first established by using the life cycle assessment, the life cycl...

Desulphurization of exhaust gases in chemical processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asperger, K.; Wischnewski, W.

1981-01-01

The sulfur content of exhaust gases can be reduced by: desulphurization of fuels; modification of processes; or treatment of resultant gases. In this paper a few selected examples from the chemical industry in the German Democratic Republic are presented. Using modified processes and treating the resultant gases, the sulphuric content of exhaust gases is effectively reduced. Methods to reduce the sulfur content of exhaust gases are described in the field of production of: sulphuric acid; viscose; fertilizers; and paraffin.

DYNSIR; A dynamic simulator for the chemical process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hyun Soo; Yoo, Jae Hyung; Byeon, Kee Hoh; Park, Jeong Hwa; Park, Seong Won

1990-03-01

A program code for dynamic simulation of arbitrary chemical process, called DYNSIR, is developed. The code can simulate rather arbitrary arrangements of individual chemical processing units whose models are described by ordinary differential equations. The code structure to handle input/output, memory and data management, numerical interactive or predetermined changes in parameter values during the simulation. Individual model is easy to maintain since the modular approach is used. The integration routine is highly effective because of the development of algorithm for modular integration method using the cubic spline. DYNSIR's data structures are not the index but the pointer structure. This pointer structure allows the dynamic memory allocation for the memory management. The dynamic memory allocation methods is to minimize the amount of memories and to overcome the limitation of the number of variables to be used. Finally, it includes various functions, such as the input preprocessor, the effective error processing, and plotting and reporting routines. (author)

The MIL-88A-Derived Fe3O4-Carbon Hierarchical Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li; Zhang, Yayun; Li, Xia; Xie, Yingzhen; He, Juan; Yu, Jie; Song, Yonghai

2015-01-01

Metal or metal oxides/carbon nanocomposites with hierarchical superstructures have become one of the most promising functional materials in sensor, catalysis, energy conversion, etc. In this work, novel hierarchical Fe3O4/carbon superstructures have been fabricated based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived method. Three kinds of Fe-MOFs (MIL-88A) with different morphologies were prepared beforehand as templates, and then pyrolyzed to fabricate the corresponding novel hierarchical Fe3O4/carbon superstructures. The systematic studies on the thermal decomposition process of the three kinds of MIL-88A and the effect of template morphology on the products were carried out in detail. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermal analysis were employed to investigate the hierarchical Fe3O4/carbon superstructures. Based on these resulted hierarchical Fe3O4/carbon superstructures, a novel and sensitive nonenzymatic N-acetyl cysteine sensor was developed. The porous and hierarchical superstructures and large surface area of the as-formed Fe3O4/carbon superstructures eventually contributed to the good electrocatalytic activity of the prepared sensor towards the oxidation of N-acetyl cysteine. The proposed preparation method of the hierarchical Fe3O4/carbon superstructures is simple, efficient, cheap and easy to mass production. It might open up a new way for hierarchical superstructures preparation. PMID:26387535

Complex and hierarchical micelle architectures from diblock copolymers using living, crystallization-driven polymerizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gädt, Torben; Ieong, Nga Sze; Cambridge, Graeme; Winnik, Mitchell A; Manners, Ian

2009-02-01

Block copolymers consist of two or more chemically distinct polymer segments, or blocks, connected by a covalent link. In a selective solvent for one of the blocks, core-corona micelle structures are formed. We demonstrate that living polymerizations driven by the epitaxial crystallization of a core-forming metalloblock represent a synthetic tool that can be used to generate complex and hierarchical micelle architectures from diblock copolymers. The use of platelet micelles as initiators enables the formation of scarf-like architectures in which cylindrical micelle tassels of controlled length are grown from specific crystal faces. A similar process enables the fabrication of brushes of cylindrical micelles on a crystalline homopolymer substrate. Living polymerizations driven by heteroepitaxial growth can also be accomplished and are illustrated by the formation of tri- and pentablock and scarf architectures with cylinder-cylinder and platelet-cylinder connections, respectively, that involve different core-forming metalloblocks.

Bayesian Hierarchical Structure for Quantifying Population Variability to Inform Probabilistic Health Risk Assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Kan; Allen, Bruce C; Wheeler, Matthew W

2017-10-01

Human variability is a very important factor considered in human health risk assessment for protecting sensitive populations from chemical exposure. Traditionally, to account for this variability, an interhuman uncertainty factor is applied to lower the exposure limit. However, using a fixed uncertainty factor rather than probabilistically accounting for human variability can hardly support probabilistic risk assessment advocated by a number of researchers; new methods are needed to probabilistically quantify human population variability. We propose a Bayesian hierarchical model to quantify variability among different populations. This approach jointly characterizes the distribution of risk at background exposure and the sensitivity of response to exposure, which are commonly represented by model parameters. We demonstrate, through both an application to real data and a simulation study, that using the proposed hierarchical structure adequately characterizes variability across different populations. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Chemical Processing Department monthly report for July 1957

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCune, F. K.; Johnson, W. E.; MacCready, W. K.; Warren, J. H.; Schroeder, O. C.; Groswith, C. T.; Mobley, W. N.; LaFollette, T. G.; Grim, K. G.; Shaw, H. P.; Richards, R. B.; Roberts, D. S.

1957-08-22

This report, for July 1957 from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following; Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

Chemical Processing Department monthly report for December 1958

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1959-01-21

This report for December 1958, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance: Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

Chemical Processing Department monthly report for February 1959

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1959-03-20

This report for February 1959, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance: Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

Hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped carbon membranes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hong; Wu, Tao

2017-01-01

The present invention is a structure, method of making and method of use for a novel macroscopic hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped, nano-porous carbon membrane (HNDCMs) with asymmetric and hierarchical pore architecture that can be produced

Hierarchically organized layout for visualization of biochemical pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsay, Jyh-Jong; Wu, Bo-Liang; Jeng, Yu-Sen

2010-01-01

Many complex pathways are described as hierarchical structures in which a pathway is recursively partitioned into several sub-pathways, and organized hierarchically as a tree. The hierarchical structure provides a natural way to visualize the global structure of a complex pathway. However, none of the previous research on pathway visualization explores the hierarchical structures provided by many complex pathways. In this paper, we aim to develop algorithms that can take advantages of hierarchical structures, and give layouts that explore the global structures as well as local structures of pathways. We present a new hierarchically organized layout algorithm to produce layouts for hierarchically organized pathways. Our algorithm first decomposes a complex pathway into sub-pathway groups along the hierarchical organization, and then partition each sub-pathway group into basic components. It then applies conventional layout algorithms, such as hierarchical layout and force-directed layout, to compute the layout of each basic component. Finally, component layouts are joined to form a final layout of the pathway. Our main contribution is the development of algorithms for decomposing pathways and joining layouts. Experiment shows that our algorithm is able to give comprehensible visualization for pathways with hierarchies, cycles as well as complex structures. It clearly renders the global component structures as well as the local structure in each component. In addition, it runs very fast, and gives better visualization for many examples from previous related research. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multimode multidrop serial coalescence effects during condensation on hierarchical superhydrophobic surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Rykaczewski, Konrad; Paxson, Adam T; Anand, Sushant; Chen, Xuemei; Wang, Zuankai; Varanasi, Kripa K

2013-01-22

The prospect of enhancing the condensation rate by decreasing the maximum drop departure diameter significantly below the capillary length through spontaneous drop motion has generated significant interest in condensation on superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS). The mobile coalescence leading to spontaneous drop motion was initially reported to occur only on hierarchical SHS, consisting of both nanoscale and microscale topological features. However, subsequent studies have shown that mobile coalescence also occurs on solely nanostructured SHS. Thus, recent focus has been on understanding the condensation process on nanostructured surfaces rather than on hierarchical SHS. In this work, we investigate the impact of microscale topography of hierarchical SHS on the droplet coalescence dynamics and wetting states during the condensation process. We show that isolated mobile and immobile coalescence between two drops, almost exclusively focused on in previous studies, are rare. We identify several new droplet shedding modes, which are aided by tangential propulsion of mobile drops. These droplet shedding modes comprise of multiple droplets merging during serial coalescence events, which culminate in formation of a drop that either departs or remains anchored to the surface. We directly relate postmerging drop adhesion to formation of drops in nanoscale as well as microscale Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter wetting states. We identify the optimal microscale feature spacing of the hierarchical SHS, which promotes departure of the highest number of microdroplets. This optimal surface architecture consists of microscale features spaced close enough to enable transition of larger droplets into micro-Cassie state yet, at the same time, provides sufficient spacing in-between the features for occurrence of mobile coalescence.

A ''master key'' to chemical separation processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madic, Ch.; Hill, C.

2002-01-01

One of the keys to sorting nuclear waste is extracting minor actinides - the most troublesome long-lived elements - from the flow of waste by separating them from lanthanides, which have very similar chemical properties to actinides, for possible transmutation into shorter-lived elements. Thanks to a European initiative coordinated by CEA, this key is now available: its name is Sanex. There now remains to develop tough, straightforward industrial processes to integrate it into a new nuclear waste management approach by 2005. Sanex joins the Diamex process, used for the combined separation of lanthanides and minor actinides from fission products. A third process, Sesame, designed to separate americium, completes the list of available separation processes. (authors)

The main chemical safety problems in main process of nuclear fuel reprocessing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Fengli; Zhao Shangui; Liu Xinhua; Zhang Chunlong; Lu Dan; Liu Yuntao; Yang Xiaowei; Wang Shijun

2014-01-01

There are many chemical reactions in the aqueous process of nuclear fuel reprocessing. The reaction conditions and the products are different so that the chemical safety problems are different. In the paper the chemical reactions in the aqueous process of nuclear fuel reprocessing are described and the main chemical safety problems are analyzed. The reference is offered to the design and accident analysis of the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. (authors)

A HIERARCHICAL SET OF MODELS FOR SPECIES RESPONSE ANALYSIS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

HUISMAN, J; OLFF, H; FRESCO, LFM

Variation in the abundance of species in space and/or time can be caused by a wide range of underlying processes. Before such causes can be analysed we need simple mathematical models which can describe the observed response patterns. For this purpose a hierarchical set of models is presented. These

A hierarchical set of models for species response analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huisman, J.; Olff, H.; Fresco, L.F.M.

1993-01-01

Variation in the abundance of species in space and/or time can be caused by a wide range of underlying processes. Before such causes can be analysed we need simple mathematical models which can describe the observed response patterns. For this purpose a hierarchical set of models is presented. These

Chemical aspects of nuclear fuel fabrication processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naylor, A; Ellis, J F; Watson, R H

1986-04-01

Processes used by British Nuclear Fuels plc for the conversion of uranium ore concentrates to uranium metal and uranium hexafluoride, are reviewed. Means of converting the latter compound, after enrichment, to sintered UO/sub 2/ fuel bodies are also described. An overview is given of the associated chemical engineering technology.

Best practices in incident investigation in the chemical process industries with examples from the industry sector and specifically from Nova Chemicals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, Lisa M.

2004-01-01

This paper will summarize best practices in incident investigation in the chemical process industries and will provide examples from both the industry sector and specifically from NOVA Chemicals. As a sponsor of the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), an industry technology alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, NOVA Chemicals participates in a number of working groups to help develop best practices and tools for the chemical process and associated industries in order to advance chemical process safety. A recent project was to develop an update on guidelines for investigating chemical process incidents. A successful incident investigation management system must ensure that all incidents and near misses are reported, that root causes are identified, that recommendations from incident investigations identify appropriate preventive measures, and that these recommendations are resolved in a timely manner. The key elements of an effective management system for incident investigation will be described. Accepted definitions of such terms as near miss, incident, and root cause will be reviewed. An explanation of the types of incident classification systems in use, along with expected levels of follow-up, will be provided. There are several incident investigation methodologies in use today by members of the CCPS; most of these methodologies incorporate the use of several tools. These tools include: timelines, sequence diagrams, causal factor identification, brainstorming, checklists, pre-defined trees, and team-defined logic trees. Developing appropriate recommendations and then ensuring their resolution is the key to prevention of similar events from recurring, along with the sharing of lessons learned from incidents. There are several sources of information on previous incidents and lessons learned available to companies. In addition, many companies in the chemical process industries use their own internal databases to track recommendations from

Hierarchical screening for multiple mental disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Batterham, Philip J; Calear, Alison L; Sunderland, Matthew; Carragher, Natacha; Christensen, Helen; Mackinnon, Andrew J

2013-10-01

There is a need for brief, accurate screening when assessing multiple mental disorders. Two-stage hierarchical screening, consisting of brief pre-screening followed by a battery of disorder-specific scales for those who meet diagnostic criteria, may increase the efficiency of screening without sacrificing precision. This study tested whether more efficient screening could be gained using two-stage hierarchical screening than by administering multiple separate tests. Two Australian adult samples (N=1990) with high rates of psychopathology were recruited using Facebook advertising to examine four methods of hierarchical screening for four mental disorders: major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social phobia. Using K6 scores to determine whether full screening was required did not increase screening efficiency. However, pre-screening based on two decision tree approaches or item gating led to considerable reductions in the mean number of items presented per disorder screened, with estimated item reductions of up to 54%. The sensitivity of these hierarchical methods approached 100% relative to the full screening battery. Further testing of the hierarchical screening approach based on clinical criteria and in other samples is warranted. The results demonstrate that a two-phase hierarchical approach to screening multiple mental disorders leads to considerable increases efficiency gains without reducing accuracy. Screening programs should take advantage of prescreeners based on gating items or decision trees to reduce the burden on respondents. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-assembled biomimetic superhydrophobic hierarchical arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hongta; Dou, Xuan; Fang, Yin; Jiang, Peng

2013-09-01

Here, we report a simple and inexpensive bottom-up technology for fabricating superhydrophobic coatings with hierarchical micro-/nano-structures, which are inspired by the binary periodic structure found on the superhydrophobic compound eyes of some insects (e.g., mosquitoes and moths). Binary colloidal arrays consisting of exemplary large (4 and 30 μm) and small (300 nm) silica spheres are first assembled by a scalable Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technology in a layer-by-layer manner. After surface modification with fluorosilanes, the self-assembled hierarchical particle arrays become superhydrophobic with an apparent water contact angle (CA) larger than 150°. The throughput of the resulting superhydrophobic coatings with hierarchical structures can be significantly improved by templating the binary periodic structures of the LB-assembled colloidal arrays into UV-curable fluoropolymers by a soft lithography approach. Superhydrophobic perfluoroether acrylate hierarchical arrays with large CAs and small CA hysteresis can be faithfully replicated onto various substrates. Both experiments and theoretical calculations based on the Cassie's dewetting model demonstrate the importance of the hierarchical structure in achieving the final superhydrophobic surface states. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped carbon membranes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hong

2017-08-03

The present invention is a structure, method of making and method of use for a novel macroscopic hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped, nano-porous carbon membrane (HNDCMs) with asymmetric and hierarchical pore architecture that can be produced on a large-scale approach. The unique HNDCM holds great promise as components in separation and advanced carbon devices because they could offer unconventional fluidic transport phenomena on the nanoscale. Overall, the invention set forth herein covers a hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped carbon membranes and methods of making and using such a membranes.

Hierarchical Rhetorical Sentence Categorization for Scientific Papers

Science.gov (United States)

Rachman, G. H.; Khodra, M. L.; Widyantoro, D. H.

2018-03-01

Important information in scientific papers can be composed of rhetorical sentences that is structured from certain categories. To get this information, text categorization should be conducted. Actually, some works in this task have been completed by employing word frequency, semantic similarity words, hierarchical classification, and the others. Therefore, this paper aims to present the rhetorical sentence categorization from scientific paper by employing TF-IDF and Word2Vec to capture word frequency and semantic similarity words and employing hierarchical classification. Every experiment is tested in two classifiers, namely Naïve Bayes and SVM Linear. This paper shows that hierarchical classifier is better than flat classifier employing either TF-IDF or Word2Vec, although it increases only almost 2% from 27.82% when using flat classifier until 29.61% when using hierarchical classifier. It shows also different learning model for child-category can be built by hierarchical classifier.

Influence of surface coverage on the chemical desorption process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minissale, M.; Dulieu, F., E-mail: francois.dulieu@obspm.fr [LERMA, Université de Cergy Pontoise et Observatoire de Paris, UMR 8112 du CNRS. 5, mail Gay Lussac, 95031 Cergy Pontoise (France)

2014-07-07

In cold astrophysical environments, some molecules are observed in the gas phase whereas they should have been depleted, frozen on dust grains. In order to solve this problem, astrochemists have proposed that a fraction of molecules synthesized on the surface of dust grains could desorb just after their formation. Recently the chemical desorption process has been demonstrated experimentally, but the key parameters at play have not yet been fully understood. In this article, we propose a new procedure to analyze the ratio of di-oxygen and ozone synthesized after O atoms adsorption on oxidized graphite. We demonstrate that the chemical desorption efficiency of the two reaction paths (O+O and O+O{sub 2}) is different by one order of magnitude. We show the importance of the surface coverage: for the O+O reaction, the chemical desorption efficiency is close to 80% at zero coverage and tends to zero at one monolayer coverage. The coverage dependence of O+O chemical desorption is proved by varying the amount of pre-adsorbed N{sub 2} on the substrate from 0 to 1.5 ML. Finally, we discuss the relevance of the different physical parameters that could play a role in the chemical desorption process: binding energy, enthalpy of formation, and energy transfer from the new molecule to the surface or to other adsorbates.

Recycled hierarchical tripod-like CuCl from Cu-PCB waste etchant for lithium ion battery anode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Song [Faculty of Material Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 China (China); Hou, Hongying, E-mail: hongyinghou@kmust.edu.cn [Faculty of Material Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 China (China); Liu, Xianxi [Faculty of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 China (China); Duan, Jixiang; Yao, Yuan; Liao, Qishu; Li, Jing; Yang, Yunzhen [Faculty of Material Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 China (China)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • High EVA CuCl was recycled with 85% recovery from Cu-PCB waste etchant. • The recycled CuCl displayed a hierarchical tripod-like morphology. • The evolution mechanism of the recycled hierarchical CuCl crystal was proposed. • The corresponding discharge capacity in LIB was 201.4 mAh/g after 100 cycles. • The results shed a new light on resource recovery and environmental protection. - Abstract: Hierarchical CuCl with high economic value added (EVA) was successfully recycled with 85% recovery from the acid Cu printed circuit board (Cu-PCB) waste etchant via facile liquid chemical reduction. The micro-structure and morphology of the recycled hierarchical CuCl were systematically characterized in terms of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Furthermore, the corresponding electrochemical performances as lithium ion battery (LIB) anode were also investigated in terms of galvanostatic charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and AC impedance. As expected, the recycled CuCl displayed a hierarchical tripod-like structure and large specific surface area of 21.2 m{sup 2}/g. As the anode in LIB, the reversible discharge capacity was about 201.4 mAh/g even after 100 cycles, implying the satisfactory cycle performance. Clearly, the satisfactory results may open a new avenue to develop the sustainable industry, which is very important in terms of both the resource recovery and the environmental protection.

A hierarchical procedure for calculation of risk importance measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poern, K.; Dinsmore, S.C.

1987-01-01

Starting with a general importance definition based on conditional probabilities, a hierarchical process for calculating risk importance measures from a PSA's numerical results is developed. By the appropriate choice of events in the general definition, measures such as the risk achievement worth and the risk reduction worth can be calculated without requantifying the PSA's models. Required approximations are clearly defined and the subsequent constraints on the applicability of the process discussed. (orig.)

Atomic scale chemical tomography of human bone

Science.gov (United States)

Langelier, Brian; Wang, Xiaoyue; Grandfield, Kathryn

2017-01-01

Human bone is a complex hierarchical material. Understanding bone structure and its corresponding composition at the nanometer scale is critical for elucidating mechanisms of biomineralization under healthy and pathological states. However, the three-dimensional structure and chemical nature of bone remains largely unexplored at the nanometer scale due to the challenges associated with characterizing both the structural and chemical integrity of bone simultaneously. Here, we use correlative transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography for the first time, to our knowledge, to reveal structures in human bone at the atomic level. This approach provides an overlaying chemical map of the organic and inorganic constituents of bone on its structure. This first use of atom probe tomography on human bone reveals local gradients, trace element detection of Mg, and the co-localization of Na with the inorganic-organic interface of bone mineral and collagen fibrils, suggesting the important role of Na-rich organics in the structural connection between mineral and collagen. Our findings provide the first insights into the hierarchical organization and chemical heterogeneity in human bone in three-dimensions at its smallest length scale - the atomic level. We demonstrate that atom probe tomography shows potential for new insights in biomineralization research on bone.

Hierarchical Recurrent Neural Hashing for Image Retrieval With Hierarchical Convolutional Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xiaoqiang; Chen, Yaxiong; Li, Xuelong

Hashing has been an important and effective technology in image retrieval due to its computational efficiency and fast search speed. The traditional hashing methods usually learn hash functions to obtain binary codes by exploiting hand-crafted features, which cannot optimally represent the information of the sample. Recently, deep learning methods can achieve better performance, since deep learning architectures can learn more effective image representation features. However, these methods only use semantic features to generate hash codes by shallow projection but ignore texture details. In this paper, we proposed a novel hashing method, namely hierarchical recurrent neural hashing (HRNH), to exploit hierarchical recurrent neural network to generate effective hash codes. There are three contributions of this paper. First, a deep hashing method is proposed to extensively exploit both spatial details and semantic information, in which, we leverage hierarchical convolutional features to construct image pyramid representation. Second, our proposed deep network can exploit directly convolutional feature maps as input to preserve the spatial structure of convolutional feature maps. Finally, we propose a new loss function that considers the quantization error of binarizing the continuous embeddings into the discrete binary codes, and simultaneously maintains the semantic similarity and balanceable property of hash codes. Experimental results on four widely used data sets demonstrate that the proposed HRNH can achieve superior performance over other state-of-the-art hashing methods.Hashing has been an important and effective technology in image retrieval due to its computational efficiency and fast search speed. The traditional hashing methods usually learn hash functions to obtain binary codes by exploiting hand-crafted features, which cannot optimally represent the information of the sample. Recently, deep learning methods can achieve better performance, since deep

Statistical process control support during Defense Waste Processing Facility chemical runs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, K.G.

1994-01-01

The Product Composition Control System (PCCS) has been developed to ensure that the wasteforms produced by the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) will satisfy the regulatory and processing criteria that will be imposed. The PCCS provides rigorous, statistically-defensible management of a noisy, multivariate system subject to multiple constraints. The system has been successfully tested and has been used to control the production of the first two melter feed batches during DWPF Chemical Runs. These operations will demonstrate the viability of the DWPF process. This paper provides a brief discussion of the technical foundation for the statistical process control algorithms incorporated into PCCS, and describes the results obtained and lessons learned from DWPF Cold Chemical Run operations. The DWPF will immobilize approximately 130 million liters of high-level nuclear waste currently stored at the Site in 51 carbon steel tanks. Waste handling operations separate this waste into highly radioactive sludge and precipitate streams and less radioactive water soluble salts. (In a separate facility, soluble salts are disposed of as low-level waste in a mixture of cement slag, and flyash.) In DWPF, the precipitate steam (Precipitate Hydrolysis Aqueous or PHA) is blended with the insoluble sludge and ground glass frit to produce melter feed slurry which is continuously fed to the DWPF melter. The melter produces a molten borosilicate glass which is poured into stainless steel canisters for cooling and, ultimately, shipment to and storage in a geologic repository

Selection of nuclear reactors through the hierarchic analysis process: the Mexican case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin del Campo, C.; Nelson, P.F.; Francois, J.L.

2008-01-01

In this work the decision making method known as hierarchical analysis process for the selection of a new reactor in Mexico was applied. The main objective of the process it is to select the nuclear reactor technology more appropriate for Mexico, to begin the bid process inside one or two years to begin their operation in 2016. The options were restricted to four reactors that fulfill the following ones approaches: 1) its are advanced reactors, from the technological point of view, with regard to the reactors that at the moment operate in the Laguna Verde Power Station, 2) its are reactors that have the totally finished design, 3) its are reactors that already have the certification on the part of the regulator organism of the origin country or that they are in an advanced state of the certification process and 4) its are reactors offered by the companies that they have designed and built the greater number of reactors that are at the moment in operation at world level. Taking into account these restrictions it was decided to consider as alternative at the reactors: Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (A BWR), European Reactor of Pressurized Water (EPR), Water at Pressure reactor (AP1000) and Simplified Economic Reactor of Boiling Water (ESBWR). The evaluation approaches include economic and of safety indicators, qualitative some of them and other quantitative ones. Another grade of complexity in the solution of the problem is that there are actors that can be involved in the definition of the evaluation approaches and in the definition of the relative importance among them, according to each actor's interests. To simplify the problem its were only considered two actors or groups of interest that can influence in more significant way and that are the Federal Commission of Electricity and the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards. The qualifications for each reactor in function of the evaluation approaches were obtained, being the A BWR the best qualified

Hierarchical ZnO particles grafting by fluorocarbon polymer derivative: Preparation and superhydrophobic behavior

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Dahai; Jia, Mengqiu, E-mail: jiamq@mail.buct.edu.cn

2015-07-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The hierarchical particles were prepared by a simple, mild hydrothermal process. • The obtained “chestnut” ZnO particles show dual-scale morphology with high roughness. • FEVE derivative was creatively imported to graft onto hierarchical particles. • Superhydrophobic surfaces were obtained, on which the contact angles surpass 150°. • A special model was proposed to explain the wetting state in this work. - Abstract: Superhydrophobic surfaces on the basis of hierarchical ZnO particles grafted by fluoroethylene-vinylether (FEVE) polymer derivative were prepared using a facile, mild and low-cost method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the resulting ZnO particles via hydrothermal process exhibit micro–nano dual-scale morphology with high purity under a suitable surfactant amount and alkali concentration. The grafting of FEVE derivative was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), suggesting that hierarchical surface of ZnO particles was an imported monomolecular layer of fluorocarbon polymer. The obtained surface fabricated by drop-casting shows considerably high contact angle and good resistance to water immersion. The wetting behavior in this work was furthermore analyzed by theoretical wetting model. This work demonstrates that the sufficient low-wettable surface and high roughness both take a vital role in the superhydrophobic behavior.

Enrichment of 15N and 10B isotopes by chemical exchange process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Souza, A.B.; Sonwalkar, A.S.; Subrahmanyam, B.V.; Valladares, B.A.

1994-01-01

Many processes are available for separation of stable isotopes like distillation, chemical exchange, thermal diffusion, gaseous diffusion, centrifuge etc. Chemical exchange process is eminently suitable for separation of isotopes of light elements. Work done on separation and enrichment of two of the stable isotopes viz. 15 N and 10 B in Chemical Engineering Division is presented. 15 N is widely used as a tracer in agricultural research and 10 B is used in nuclear industry as control rod material, soluble reactor poison, neutron detector etc. The work on 15 N isotope resulted in a pilot plant, which was the only source of this material in the country for many years and later it was translated into a production plant as M/s. RCF Ltd. The work done on the ion-exchange process for enrichment of 10 B isotope which is basically a chemical exchange process, is now being updated into a pilot plant to produce enriched 10 B to be used as soluble reactor poison. (author)

Zeolitic materials with hierarchical porous structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez-Orozco, Sofia; Inayat, Amer; Schwab, Andreas; Selvam, Thangaraj; Schwieger, Wilhelm

2011-06-17

During the past several years, different kinds of hierarchical structured zeolitic materials have been synthesized due to their highly attractive properties, such as superior mass/heat transfer characteristics, lower restriction of the diffusion of reactants in the mesopores, and low pressure drop. Our contribution provides general information regarding types and preparation methods of hierarchical zeolitic materials and their relative advantages and disadvantages. Thereafter, recent advances in the preparation and characterization of hierarchical zeolitic structures within the crystallites by post-synthetic treatment methods, such as dealumination or desilication; and structured devices by in situ and ex situ zeolite coatings on open-cellular ceramic foams as (non-reactive as well as reactive) supports are highlighted. Specific advantages of using hierarchical zeolitic catalysts/structures in selected catalytic reactions, such as benzene to phenol (BTOP) and methanol to olefins (MTO) are presented. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Reflection of processes of non-equilibrium two-phase filtration in oil-saturated hierarchical medium in data of active wave geophysical monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Hachay, Olga; Khachay, Andrey; Khachay, Oleg

2016-04-01

The processes of oil extraction from deposit are linked with the movement of multi-phase multi-component media, which are characterized by non-equilibrium and non-linear rheological features. The real behavior of layered systems is defined by the complexity of the rheology of moving fluids and the morphology structure of the porous medium, and also by the great variety of interactions between the fluid and the porous medium [Hasanov and Bulgakova, 2003]. It is necessary to take into account these features in order to informatively describe the filtration processes due to the non-linearity, non-equilibrium and heterogeneity that are features of real systems. In this way, new synergetic events can be revealed (namely, a loss of stability when oscillations occur, and the formation of ordered structures). This allows us to suggest new methods for the control and management of complicated natural systems that are constructed on account of these phenomena. Thus the layered system, from which it is necessary to extract the oil, is a complicated dynamical hierarchical system. A comparison is provided of non-equilibrium effects of the influence of independent hydrodynamic and electromagnetic induction on an oil layer and the medium which it surrounds. It is known that by drainage and steeping the hysteresis effect on curves of the relative phase permeability in dependence on the porous medium's water saturation in some cycles of influence (drainage-steep-drainage) is observed. Using the earlier developed 3D method of induction electromagnetic frequency geometric monitoring, we showed the possibility of defining the physical and structural features of a hierarchical oil layer structure and estimating the water saturation from crack inclusions. This effect allows managing the process of drainage and steeping the oil out of the layer by water displacement. An algorithm was constructed for 2D modeling of sound diffraction on a porous fluid-saturated intrusion of a hierarchical

Electroactive nanoparticle directed assembly of functionalized graphene nanosheets into hierarchical structures with hybrid compositions for flexible supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Bong Gill; Huh, Yun Suk; Hong, Won Hi; Erickson, David; Park, Ho Seok

2013-04-01

Hierarchical structures of hybrid materials with the controlled compositions have been shown to offer a breakthrough for energy storage and conversion. Here, we report the integrative assembly of chemically modified graphene (CMG) building blocks into hierarchical complex structures with the hybrid composition for high performance flexible pseudocapacitors. The formation mechanism of hierarchical CMG/Nafion/RuO2 (CMGNR) microspheres, which is triggered by the cooperative interplay during the in situ synthesis of RuO2 nanoparticles (NPs), was extensively investigated. In particular, the hierarchical CMGNR microspheres consisting of the aggregates of CMG/Nafion (CMGN) nanosheets and RuO2 NPs provided large surface area and facile ion accessibility to storage sites, while the interconnected nanosheets offered continuous electron pathways and mechanical integrity. The synergistic effect of CMGNR hybrids on the supercapacitor (SC) performance was derived from the hybrid composition of pseudocapacitive RuO2 NPs with the conductive CMGNs as well as from structural features. Consequently, the CMGNR-SCs showed a specific capacitance as high as 160 F g-1, three-fold higher than that of conventional graphene SCs, and a capacitance retention of >95% of the maximum value even after severe bending and 1000 charge-discharge tests due to the structural and compositional features.Hierarchical structures of hybrid materials with the controlled compositions have been shown to offer a breakthrough for energy storage and conversion. Here, we report the integrative assembly of chemically modified graphene (CMG) building blocks into hierarchical complex structures with the hybrid composition for high performance flexible pseudocapacitors. The formation mechanism of hierarchical CMG/Nafion/RuO2 (CMGNR) microspheres, which is triggered by the cooperative interplay during the in situ synthesis of RuO2 nanoparticles (NPs), was extensively investigated. In particular, the hierarchical CMGNR

Aerial surveillance based on hierarchical object classification for ground target detection

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Cervantes, Alberto; García-Huerta, Juan-Manuel; Hernández-Díaz, Teresa; Soto-Cajiga, J. A.; Jiménez-Hernández, Hugo

2015-03-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles have turned important in surveillance application due to the flexibility and ability to inspect and displace in different regions of interest. The instrumentation and autonomy of these vehicles have been increased; i.e. the camera sensor is now integrated. Mounted cameras allow flexibility to monitor several regions of interest, displacing and changing the camera view. A well common task performed by this kind of vehicles correspond to object localization and tracking. This work presents a hierarchical novel algorithm to detect and locate objects. The algorithm is based on a detection-by-example approach; this is, the target evidence is provided at the beginning of the vehicle's route. Afterwards, the vehicle inspects the scenario, detecting all similar objects through UTM-GPS coordinate references. Detection process consists on a sampling information process of the target object. Sampling process encode in a hierarchical tree with different sampling's densities. Coding space correspond to a huge binary space dimension. Properties such as independence and associative operators are defined in this space to construct a relation between the target object and a set of selected features. Different densities of sampling are used to discriminate from general to particular features that correspond to the target. The hierarchy is used as a way to adapt the complexity of the algorithm due to optimized battery duty cycle of the aerial device. Finally, this approach is tested in several outdoors scenarios, proving that the hierarchical algorithm works efficiently under several conditions.

Hierarchical organisation of causal graphs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dziopa, P.

1993-01-01

This paper deals with the design of a supervision system using a hierarchy of models formed by graphs, in which the variables are the nodes and the causal relations between the variables of the arcs. To obtain a representation of the variables evolutions which contains only the relevant features of their real evolutions, the causal relations are completed with qualitative transfer functions (QTFs) which produce roughly the behaviour of the classical transfer functions. Major improvements have been made in the building of the hierarchical organization. First, the basic variables of the uppermost level and the causal relations between them are chosen. The next graph is built by adding intermediary variables to the upper graph. When the undermost graph has been built, the transfer functions parameters corresponding to its causal relations are identified. The second task consists in the upwelling of the information from the undermost graph to the uppermost one. A fusion procedure of the causal relations has been designed to compute the QFTs relevant for each level. This procedure aims to reduce the number of parameters needed to represent an evolution at a high level of abstraction. These techniques have been applied to the hierarchical modelling of nuclear process. (authors). 8 refs., 12 figs

Broca's area: a supramodal hierarchical processor?

Science.gov (United States)

Tettamanti, Marco; Weniger, Dorothea

2006-05-01

Despite the presence of shared characteristics across the different domains modulating Broca's area activity (e.g., structural analogies, as between language and music, or representational homologies, as between action execution and action observation), the question of what exactly the common denominator of such diverse brain functions is, with respect to the function of Broca's area, remains largely a debated issue. Here, we suggest that an important computational role of Broca's area may be to process hierarchical structures in a wide range of functional domains.

Microfluidic Droplet-Facilitated Hierarchical Assembly for Dual Cargo Loading and Synergistic Delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Ziyi; Zheng, Yu; Parker, Richard M; Lan, Yang; Wu, Yuchao; Coulston, Roger J; Zhang, Jing; Scherman, Oren A; Abell, Chris

2016-04-06

Bottom-up hierarchical assembly has emerged as an elaborate and energy-efficient strategy for the fabrication of smart materials. Herein, we present a hierarchical assembly process, whereby linear amphiphilic block copolymers are self-assembled into micelles, which in turn are accommodated at the interface of microfluidic droplets via cucurbit[8]uril-mediated host-guest chemistry to form supramolecular microcapsules. The monodisperse microcapsules can be used for simultaneous carriage of both organic (Nile Red) and aqueous-soluble (fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran) cargo. Furthermore, the well-defined compartmentalized structure benefits from the dynamic nature of the supramolecular interaction and offers synergistic delivery of cargos with triggered release or through photocontrolled porosity. This demonstration of premeditated hierarchical assembly, where interactions from the molecular to microscale are designed, illustrates the power of this route toward accessing the next generation of functional materials and encapsulation strategies.

Hierarchically structured transparent hybrid membranes by in situ growth of mesostructured organosilica in host polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Vallé, Karine; Belleville, Philippe; Pereira, Franck; Sanchez, Clément

2006-02-01

The elaborate performances characterizing natural materials result from functional hierarchical constructions at scales ranging from nanometres to millimetres, each construction allowing the material to fit the physical or chemical demands occurring at these different levels. Hierarchically structured materials start to demonstrate a high input in numerous promising applied domains such as sensors, catalysis, optics, fuel cells, smart biologic and cosmetic vectors. In particular, hierarchical hybrid materials permit the accommodation of a maximum of elementary functions in a small volume, thereby optimizing complementary possibilities and properties between inorganic and organic components. The reported strategies combine sol-gel chemistry, self-assembly routes using templates that tune the material's architecture and texture with the use of larger inorganic, organic or biological templates such as latex, organogelator-derived fibres, nanolithographic techniques or controlled phase separation. We propose an approach to forming transparent hierarchical hybrid functionalized membranes using in situ generation of mesostructured hybrid phases inside a non-porogenic hydrophobic polymeric host matrix. We demonstrate that the control of the multiple affinities existing between organic and inorganic components allows us to design the length-scale partitioning of hybrid nanomaterials with tuned functionalities and desirable size organization from ångström to centimetre. After functionalization of the mesoporous hybrid silica component, the resulting membranes have good ionic conductivity offering interesting perspectives for the design of solid electrolytes, fuel cells and other ion-transport microdevices.

The Case for a Hierarchical Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Vaucouleurs, G. de

1970-01-01

The development of modern theoretical cosmology is presented and some questionable assumptions of orthodox cosmology are pointed out. Suggests that recent observations indicate that hierarchical clustering is a basic factor in cosmology. The implications of hierarchical models of the universe are considered. Bibliography. (LC)

Chemical Processing Department monthly report for February 1957

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1957-03-21

This report from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation, purex operation, redox operation, finished products operation, power and general maintenance operation, financial operation, facilities engineering operation, research and engineering operation, and employee relations operation.

COMPOSITE METHOD OF RELIABILITY RESEARCH FOR HIERARCHICAL MULTILAYER ROUTING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. B. Tregubov

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the idea of a research method for hierarchical multilayer routing systems. The method represents a composition of methods of graph theories, reliability, probabilities, etc. These methods are applied to the solution of different private analysis and optimization tasks and are systemically connected and coordinated with each other through uniform set-theoretic representation of the object of research. The hierarchical multilayer routing systems are considered as infrastructure facilities (gas and oil pipelines, automobile and railway networks, systems of power supply and communication with distribution of material resources, energy or information with the use of hierarchically nested functions of routing. For descriptive reasons theoretical constructions are considered on the example of task solution of probability determination for up state of specific infocommunication system. The author showed the possibility of constructive combination of graph representation of structure of the object of research and a logic probable analysis method of its reliability indices through uniform set-theoretic representation of its elements and processes proceeding in them.

Classification using Hierarchical Naive Bayes models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langseth, Helge; Dyhre Nielsen, Thomas

2006-01-01

Classification problems have a long history in the machine learning literature. One of the simplest, and yet most consistently well-performing set of classifiers is the Naïve Bayes models. However, an inherent problem with these classifiers is the assumption that all attributes used to describe......, termed Hierarchical Naïve Bayes models. Hierarchical Naïve Bayes models extend the modeling flexibility of Naïve Bayes models by introducing latent variables to relax some of the independence statements in these models. We propose a simple algorithm for learning Hierarchical Naïve Bayes models...

Improved Adhesion and Compliancy of Hierarchical Fibrillar Adhesives.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yasong; Gates, Byron D; Menon, Carlo

2015-08-05

The gecko relies on van der Waals forces to cling onto surfaces with a variety of topography and composition. The hierarchical fibrillar structures on their climbing feet, ranging from mesoscale to nanoscale, are hypothesized to be key elements for the animal to conquer both smooth and rough surfaces. An epoxy-based artificial hierarchical fibrillar adhesive was prepared to study the influence of the hierarchical structures on the properties of a dry adhesive. The presented experiments highlight the advantages of a hierarchical structure despite a reduction of overall density and aspect ratio of nanofibrils. In contrast to an adhesive containing only nanometer-size fibrils, the hierarchical fibrillar adhesives exhibited a higher adhesion force and better compliancy when tested on an identical substrate.

Alternative Processes for Water Reclamation and Solid Waste Processing in a Physical/chemical Bioregenerative Life Support System

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Tom D.

1990-01-01

Viewgraphs on alternative processes for water reclamation and solid waste processing in a physical/chemical-bioregenerative life support system are presented. The main objective is to focus attention on emerging influences of secondary factors (i.e., waste composition, type and level of chemical contaminants, and effects of microorganisms, primarily bacteria) and to constructively address these issues by discussing approaches which attack them in a direct manner.

Quantification of chemical transport processes from the soil to surface runoff.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Kun; Huang, Chi-Hua; Wang, Guang-Qian; Fu, Xu-Dong; Parker, Gary

2013-01-01

There is a good conceptual understanding of the processes that govern chemical transport from the soil to surface runoff, but few studies have actually quantified these processes separately. Thus, we designed a laboratory flow cell and experimental procedures to quantify the chemical transport from soil to runoff water in the following individual processes: (i) convection with a vertical hydraulic gradient, (ii) convection via surface flow or the Bernoulli effect, (iii) diffusion, and (iv) soil loss. We applied different vertical hydraulic gradients by setting the flow cell to generate different seepage or drainage conditions. Our data confirmed the general form of the convection-diffusion equation. However, we now have additional quantitative data that describe the contribution of each individual chemical loading process in different surface runoff and soil hydrological conditions. The results of this study will be useful for enhancing our understanding of different geochemical processes in the surface soil mixing zone. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Chemical Processing Department monthly report for September 1963

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1963-10-21

This report, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO for September 1963, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations, facilities engineering; research; employee relations; weapons manufacturing operation; and power and crafts operation.

Bioactivity-guided mapping and navigation of chemical space

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Renner, S.; Otterlo, van W.A.L.; Seoane, M.D.; Möcklinghoff, S.; Hofmann, B.; Wetzel, S.; Schuffenhauer, A.; Ertl, P.; Oprea, T.I.; Steinhilber, D.; Brunsveld, L.; Rauh, D.; Waldmann, H.

2009-01-01

The structure- and chemistry-based hierarchical organization of library scaffolds in tree-like arrangements provides a valid, intuitive means to map and navigate chemical space. We demonstrate that scaffold trees built using bioactivity as the key selection criterion for structural simplification

DWPF nitric-glycolic flowsheet chemical process cell chemistry. Part 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zamecnik, J. R. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Edwards, T. B. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-02-01

The conversions of nitrite to nitrate, the destruction of glycolate, and the conversion of glycolate to formate and oxalate were modeled for the Nitric-Glycolic flowsheet using data from Chemical Process Cell (CPC) simulant runs conducted by SRNL from 2011 to 2015. The goal of this work was to develop empirical correlations for these variables versus measureable variables from the chemical process so that these quantities could be predicted a-priori from the sludge composition and measurable processing variables. The need for these predictions arises from the need to predict the REDuction/OXidation (REDOX) state of the glass from the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melter. This report summarizes the initial work on these correlations based on the aforementioned data. Further refinement of the models as additional data is collected is recommended.

Hierarchical Discriminant Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Di Lu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Internet of Things (IoT generates lots of high-dimensional sensor intelligent data. The processing of high-dimensional data (e.g., data visualization and data classification is very difficult, so it requires excellent subspace learning algorithms to learn a latent subspace to preserve the intrinsic structure of the high-dimensional data, and abandon the least useful information in the subsequent processing. In this context, many subspace learning algorithms have been presented. However, in the process of transforming the high-dimensional data into the low-dimensional space, the huge difference between the sum of inter-class distance and the sum of intra-class distance for distinct data may cause a bias problem. That means that the impact of intra-class distance is overwhelmed. To address this problem, we propose a novel algorithm called Hierarchical Discriminant Analysis (HDA. It minimizes the sum of intra-class distance first, and then maximizes the sum of inter-class distance. This proposed method balances the bias from the inter-class and that from the intra-class to achieve better performance. Extensive experiments are conducted on several benchmark face datasets. The results reveal that HDA obtains better performance than other dimensionality reduction algorithms.

Facile method for preparing superoleophobic surfaces with hierarchical microcubic/nanowire structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Wonshik; Hwang, Woonbong

2016-02-01

To facilitate the fabrication of superoleophobic surfaces having hierarchical microcubic/nanowire structures (HMNS), even for low surface tension liquids including octane (surface tension = 21.1 mN m-1), and to understand the influences of surface structures on the oleophobicity, we developed a convenient method to achieve superoleophobic surfaces on aluminum substrates using chemical acid etching, anodization and fluorination treatment. The liquid repellency of the structured surface was validated through observable experimental results the contact and sliding angle measurements. The etching condition required to ensure high surface roughness was established, and an optimal anodizing condition was determined, as a critical parameter in building the superoleophobicity. The microcubic structures formed by acid etching are essential for achieving the formation of the hierarchical structure, and therefore, the nanowire structures formed by anodization lead to an enhancement of the superoleophobicity for low surface tension liquids. Under optimized morphology by microcubic/nanowire structures with fluorination treatment, the contact angle over 150° and the sliding angle less than 10° are achieved even for octane.

Trimethylamine Sensors Based on Au-Modified Hierarchical Porous Single-Crystalline ZnO Nanosheets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fanli Meng

2017-06-01

Full Text Available It is of great significance for dynamic monitoring of foods in storage or during the transportation process through on-line detecting trimethylamine (TMA. Here, TMA were sensitively detected by Au-modified hierarchical porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets (HPSCZNs-based sensors. The HPSCZNs were synthesized through a one-pot wet-chemical method followed by an annealing treatment. Polyethyleneimine (PEI was used to modify the surface of the HPSCZNs, and then the PEI-modified samples were mixed with Au nanoparticles (NPs sol solution. Electrostatic interactions drive Au nanoparticles loading onto the surface of the HPSCZNs. The Au-modified HPSCZNs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM and energy dispersive spectrum (EDS, respectively. The results show that Au-modified HPSCZNs-based sensors exhibit a high response to TMA. The linear range is from 10 to 300 ppb; while the detection limit is 10 ppb, which is the lowest value to our knowledge.

Trimethylamine Sensors Based on Au-Modified Hierarchical Porous Single-Crystalline ZnO Nanosheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Fanli; Zheng, Hanxiong; Sun, Yufeng; Li, Minqiang; Liu, Jinhuai

2017-06-22

It is of great significance for dynamic monitoring of foods in storage or during the transportation process through on-line detecting trimethylamine (TMA). Here, TMA were sensitively detected by Au-modified hierarchical porous single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets (HPSCZNs)-based sensors. The HPSCZNs were synthesized through a one-pot wet-chemical method followed by an annealing treatment. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was used to modify the surface of the HPSCZNs, and then the PEI-modified samples were mixed with Au nanoparticles (NPs) sol solution. Electrostatic interactions drive Au nanoparticles loading onto the surface of the HPSCZNs. The Au-modified HPSCZNs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), respectively. The results show that Au-modified HPSCZNs-based sensors exhibit a high response to TMA. The linear range is from 10 to 300 ppb; while the detection limit is 10 ppb, which is the lowest value to our knowledge.

Enhanced supercapacitor performance using hierarchical TiO2 nanorod/Co(OH)2 nanowall array electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramadoss, Ananthakumar; Kim, Sang Jae

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • TiO 2 /Co(OH) 2 hierarchical nanostructure was prepared by a combination of hydrothermal and cathodic electrodeposition method. • Hierarchical nanostructure electrode exhibited a maximum capacitance of 274.3 mF cm −2 at a scan rate of 5 mV s −1 . • Combination of Co(OH) 2 nanowall with TiO 2 NR into a single system enhanced the electrochemical behavior of supercapacitor electrode. - Abstract: We report novel hierarchical TiO 2 nanorod (NR)/porous Co(OH) 2 nanowall array electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors fabricated using a two-step process that involves hydrothermal and electrodeposition techniques. Field-emission scanning electron microscope images reveal a bilayer structure consisting of TiO 2 NR arrays with porous Co(OH) 2 nanowalls. Compared with the bare TiO 2 NRs, the hierarchical TiO 2 NRs/Co(OH) 2 electrodes showed improved pseudocapacitive performance in a 2-M KOH electrolyte solution, exhibiting an areal specific capacitance of 274.3 mF cm −2 at a scan rate of 5 mV s −1 . The electrodes exhibited good stability, retaining 82.5% of the initial capacitance after 4000 cycles. The good pseudocapacitive performance of the hierarchical nanostructures is mainly due to the porous structure, which provides fast ion and electron transfer, a large surface area, short ion diffusion paths, and a favourable volume change during the cycling process

Determinants of job stress in chemical process industry: A factor analysis approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Menon, Balagopal G; Praveensal, C J; Madhu, G

2015-01-01

Job stress is one of the active research domains in industrial safety research. The job stress can result in accidents and health related issues in workers in chemical process industries. Hence it is important to measure the level of job stress in workers so as to mitigate the same to avoid the worker's safety related problems in the industries. The objective of this study is to determine the job stress factors in the chemical process industry in Kerala state, India. This study also aims to propose a comprehensive model and an instrument framework for measuring job stress levels in the chemical process industries in Kerala, India. The data is collected through a questionnaire survey conducted in chemical process industries in Kerala. The collected data out of 1197 surveys is subjected to principal component and confirmatory factor analysis to develop the job stress factor structure. The factor analysis revealed 8 factors that influence the job stress in process industries. It is also found that the job stress in employees is most influenced by role ambiguity and the least by work environment. The study has developed an instrument framework towards measuring job stress utilizing exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.

HIERARCHICAL ADAPTIVE ROOD PATTERN SEARCH FOR MOTION ESTIMATION AT VIDEO SEQUENCE ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. T. Nguyen

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Subject of Research.The paper deals with the motion estimation algorithms for the analysis of video sequences in compression standards MPEG-4 Visual and H.264. Anew algorithm has been offered based on the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of existing algorithms. Method. Thealgorithm is called hierarchical adaptive rood pattern search (Hierarchical ARPS, HARPS. This new algorithm includes the classic adaptive rood pattern search ARPS and hierarchical search MP (Hierarchical search or Mean pyramid. All motion estimation algorithms have been implemented using MATLAB package and tested with several video sequences. Main Results. The criteria for evaluating the algorithms were: speed, peak signal to noise ratio, mean square error and mean absolute deviation. The proposed method showed a much better performance at a comparable error and deviation. The peak signal to noise ratio in different video sequences shows better and worse results than characteristics of known algorithms so it requires further investigation. Practical Relevance. Application of this algorithm in MPEG-4 and H.264 codecs instead of the standard can significantly reduce compression time. This feature enables to recommend it in telecommunication systems for multimedia data storing, transmission and processing.

Secondary cleanup of Idaho Chemical Processing Plant solvent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mailen, J.C.

1985-01-01

Solvent from the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) (operated by Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company, Inc.) has been tested to determine the ability of activated alumina to remove secondary degradation products - those degradation products which are not removed by scrubbing with sodium carbonate

Sustainable chemical processing and energy-carbon dioxide management: review of challenges and opportunities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frauzem, Rebecca; Vooradi, Ramsagar; Bertran, Maria-Ona

2018-01-01

This paper presents a brief review of the available energy sources for consumption, their effects in terms of CO2-emission and its management, and sustainable chemical processing where energy-consumption, CO2-emission, as well as economics and environmental impacts are considered. Not all available...... energy sources are being utilized efficiently, while, the energy source causing the largest emission of CO2 is being used in the largest amount. The CO2 management is therefore looking at "curing" the problem rather than "preventing" it. Examples highlighting the synthesis, design and analysis...... of sustainable chemical processing in the utilization of biomass-based energy-chemicals production, carbon-capture and utilization with zero or negative CO2-emission to produce value added chemicals as well as retrofit design of energy intensive chemical processes with significant reduction of energy consumption...

Scaling behavior in urban development process of Tokyo City and hierarchical dynamical structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuba, Ikuo; Namatame, Masanori

2003-01-01

We study a geometric structure of urban development process which pays particular attention to scaling properties in the settlement area and inhabitant population through changes in the scaling exponents. Both the degree to which the space is fulfilled and the rate at which it is filled are obtained for the residential development in Tokyo. For distances larger than the city boundary, there is a sharp cross-over to a suburban region with a quite intriguing variation with a distance from the center of the city. The population densities in this region are found to collapse into a single scaling function with the scaling exponent 0.678 in the early 1990s in which the growth of the population attenuates. We propose a cellular automata model using the simulated annealing method that succeeds in reproducing the qualitative similar structural complexity of the actual city by taking into account the transportation system, especially railroad network. Finally, a possible theoretical consideration is given in analogous with fluid dynamics. Scaling of the population density is obtained assuming that there is a dynamical hierarchical structure in the scaling region where the stationarity is fulfilled. The theoretically obtained exponent 2/3 agrees well with the observed one

Facile synthesis of three dimensional hierarchical Co-Al layered double hydroxides on graphene as high-performance materials for supercapacitor electrode.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Jinhui; Yang, Wenshu; Zhang, Zhe; Lu, Baoping; Ke, Xi; Zhang, Bailin; Tang, Jilin

2014-07-15

A facile simple hydrothermal method combined with a post-solution reaction is developed to grow interconnected three dimensional (3D) hierarchical Co-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) on reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The obtained 3D hierarchical rGO-LDHs are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy. As LDHs nanosheets directly grow on the surface of rGO via chemical covalent bonding, the rGO could provide facile electron transport paths in the electrode for the fast Faradaic reaction. Moreover, benefiting from the rational 3D hierarchical structural, the rGO-LDHs demonstrate excellent electrochemical properties with a combination of high charge storage capacitance, fast rate capability and stable cycling performance. Remarkably, the 3D hierarchical rGO-LDHs exhibit specific capacitance values of 599 F g(-1) at a constant current density of 4 A g(-1). The rGO-LDHs also show high charge-discharge reversibility with an efficiency of 92.4% after 5000 cycles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modelling Dietary Exposure to Chemical Components in Heat-Processed Meats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georgiadis, Stylianos; Jakobsen, Lea Sletting; Nielsen, Bo Friis

Several chemical compounds that potentially increase the risk of developing cancer in humans are formed during heat processing of meat. Estimating the overall health impact of these compounds in the population requires accurate estimation of the exposure to the chemicals, as well as the probabili.......g. the Poisson-Lognormal approach, are promising tools to address this obstacle. The exposure estimates can then be applied to dose-response models to quantify the cancer risk.......Several chemical compounds that potentially increase the risk of developing cancer in humans are formed during heat processing of meat. Estimating the overall health impact of these compounds in the population requires accurate estimation of the exposure to the chemicals, as well as the probability...... that different levels of exposure result in disease. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of variability of exposure patterns and uncertainty of exposure data in burden of disease estimates. We focus on the first phase of burden of disease modelling, i.e. the estimation of exposure...

Epidemic spreading in a hierarchical social network.

Science.gov (United States)

Grabowski, A; Kosiński, R A

2004-09-01

A model of epidemic spreading in a population with a hierarchical structure of interpersonal interactions is described and investigated numerically. The structure of interpersonal connections is based on a scale-free network. Spatial localization of individuals belonging to different social groups, and the mobility of a contemporary community, as well as the effectiveness of different interpersonal interactions, are taken into account. Typical relations characterizing the spreading process, like a range of epidemic and epidemic curves, are discussed. The influence of preventive vaccinations on the spreading process is investigated. The critical value of preventively vaccinated individuals that is sufficient for the suppression of an epidemic is calculated. Our results are compared with solutions of the master equation for the spreading process and good agreement of the character of this process is found.

Leadership styles across hierarchical levels in nursing departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Stordeur, S; Vandenberghe, C; D'hoore, W

2000-01-01

Some researchers have reported on the cascading effect of transformational leadership across hierarchical levels. One study examined this effect in nursing, but it was limited to a single hospital. To examine the cascading effect of leadership styles across hierarchical levels in a sample of nursing departments and to investigate the effect of hierarchical level on the relationships between leadership styles and various work outcomes. Based on a sample of eight hospitals, the cascading effect was tested using correlation analysis. The main sources of variation among leadership scores were determined with analyses of variance (ANOVA), and the interaction effect of hierarchical level and leadership styles on criterion variables was tested with moderated regression analysis. No support was found for a cascading effect of leadership across hierarchical levels. Rather, the variation of leadership scores was explained primarily by the organizational context. Transformational leadership had a stronger impact on criterion variables than transactional leadership. Interaction effects between leadership styles and hierarchical level were observed only for perceived unit effectiveness. The hospital's structure and culture are major determinants of leadership styles.

Historical events of the Chemical Processing Department

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lane, W.A.

1965-11-12

The purpose of this report is to summarize and document the significant historical events pertinent to the operation of the Chemical Processing facilities at Hanford. The report covers, in chronological order, the major construction activities and historical events from 1944 to September, 1965. Also included are the production records achieved and a history of the department`s unit cost performance.

Models and Modelling Tools for Chemical Product and Process Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gani, Rafiqul

2016-01-01

The design, development and reliability of a chemical product and the process to manufacture it, need to be consistent with the end-use characteristics of the desired product. One of the common ways to match the desired product-process characteristics is through trial and error based experiments......-based framework is that in the design, development and/or manufacturing of a chemical product-process, the knowledge of the applied phenomena together with the product-process design details can be provided with diverse degrees of abstractions and details. This would allow the experimental resources...... to be employed for validation and fine-tuning of the solutions from the model-based framework, thereby, removing the need for trial and error experimental steps. Also, questions related to economic feasibility, operability and sustainability, among others, can be considered in the early stages of design. However...

Integrating chemical engineering fundamentals in the capstone process design project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

von Solms, Nicolas; Woodley, John; Johnsson, Jan Erik

2010-01-01

Reaction Engineering. In order to incorporate reactor design into process design in a meaningful way, the teachers of the respective courses need to collaborate (Standard 9 – Enhancement of Faculty CDIO skills). The students also see that different components of the chemical engineering curriculum relate......All B.Eng. courses offered at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) must now follow CDIO standards. The final “capstone” course in the B.Eng. education is Process Design, which for many years has been typical of chemical engineering curricula worldwide. The course at DTU typically has about 30...... of the CDIO standards – especially standard 3 – Integrated Curriculum - means that the course projects must draw on competences provided in other subjects which the students are taking in parallel with Process Design – specifically Process Control and Reaction Engineering. In each semester of the B...

Chemical and physicochemical characteristics changes during passion fruit juice processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Gurgel Fernandes

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Passion fruit is widely consumed due to its pleasant flavour and aroma acidity, and it is considered very important a source of minerals and vitamins. It is used in many products such as ice-cream, mousses and, especially, juices. However, the processing of passion fruit juice may modify the composition and biodisponibility of the bioactive compounds. Investigations of the effects of processing on nutritional components in tropical juices are scarce. Frequently, only losses of vitamin C are evaluated. The objective of this paper is to investigate how some operations of passion fruit juice processing (formulation/homogeneization/thermal treatment affect this product's chemical and physicochemical characteristics. The results showed that the chemical and physicochemical characteristics are little affected by the processing although a reduction in vitamin C contents and anthocyanin, large quantities of carotenoids was verified even after the pasteurization stage.

Efficient Bayesian hierarchical functional data analysis with basis function approximations using Gaussian-Wishart processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jingjing; Cox, Dennis D; Lee, Jong Soo; Ren, Peng; Choi, Taeryon

2017-12-01

Functional data are defined as realizations of random functions (mostly smooth functions) varying over a continuum, which are usually collected on discretized grids with measurement errors. In order to accurately smooth noisy functional observations and deal with the issue of high-dimensional observation grids, we propose a novel Bayesian method based on the Bayesian hierarchical model with a Gaussian-Wishart process prior and basis function representations. We first derive an induced model for the basis-function coefficients of the functional data, and then use this model to conduct posterior inference through Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Compared to the standard Bayesian inference that suffers serious computational burden and instability in analyzing high-dimensional functional data, our method greatly improves the computational scalability and stability, while inheriting the advantage of simultaneously smoothing raw observations and estimating the mean-covariance functions in a nonparametric way. In addition, our method can naturally handle functional data observed on random or uncommon grids. Simulation and real studies demonstrate that our method produces similar results to those obtainable by the standard Bayesian inference with low-dimensional common grids, while efficiently smoothing and estimating functional data with random and high-dimensional observation grids when the standard Bayesian inference fails. In conclusion, our method can efficiently smooth and estimate high-dimensional functional data, providing one way to resolve the curse of dimensionality for Bayesian functional data analysis with Gaussian-Wishart processes. © 2017, The International Biometric Society.

Methods and tools for sustainable chemical process design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loureiro da Costa Lira Gargalo, Carina; Chairakwongsa, Siwanat; Quaglia, Alberto

2015-01-01

As the pressure on chemical and biochemical processes to achieve a more sustainable performance increases, the need to define a systematic and holistic way to accomplish this is becoming more urgent. In this chapter, a multilevel computer-aided framework for systematic design of more sustainable...

MIMO Self-Tuning Control of Chemical Process Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hallager, L.; Jørgensen, S. B.; Goldschmidt, L.

1984-01-01

The problem of selecting a feasible model structure for a MIMO self-tuning controller (MIMOSC) is addressed. The dependency of the necessary structure complexity in relation to the specific process operating point is investigated. Experimental results from a fixed-bed chemical reactor are used...

How can we predict microstructural changes caused by the multiscale irradiation process occurred in materials having complicated and hierarchical structures?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morishita, Kazunori; Watanabe, Yoshiyuki; Yoshimatsu, Jun-ichi

2008-01-01

Challenging efforts are discussed to establish an advanced methodology for prediction of material's property and performance changes by irradiation, which will be necessary by all means for the advanced reactor maintenance technology in the future. The changes of material's properties and performance caused by irradiation, such as irradiation-induced hardening, ductility loss, and material's degradation leading to reduction in reactor lifetime, are primarily determined by microstructural changes in materials during irradiation, where athermal lattice defects are continuously produced by collisions between an irradiating particle and a target material atom, and subsequently the defects are aggregated via diffusion in the form of dislocation loops, voids, and solute precipitation. These radiation damage processes are in essence multiscale phenomena, which involve varying time- and length-scales, from ballistic binary collisions to collective atomic motion in the thermal spike stage followed by the thermal activation process. In this report, the multiscale modeling approach is proposed to understand the processes in materials having complicated and hierarchical structures. (author)

Parallel Implementation of the Recursive Approximation of an Unsupervised Hierarchical Segmentation Algorithm. Chapter 5

Science.gov (United States)

Tilton, James C.; Plaza, Antonio J. (Editor); Chang, Chein-I. (Editor)

2008-01-01

The hierarchical image segmentation algorithm (referred to as HSEG) is a hybrid of hierarchical step-wise optimization (HSWO) and constrained spectral clustering that produces a hierarchical set of image segmentations. HSWO is an iterative approach to region grooving segmentation in which the optimal image segmentation is found at N(sub R) regions, given a segmentation at N(sub R+1) regions. HSEG's addition of constrained spectral clustering makes it a computationally intensive algorithm, for all but, the smallest of images. To counteract this, a computationally efficient recursive approximation of HSEG (called RHSEG) has been devised. Further improvements in processing speed are obtained through a parallel implementation of RHSEG. This chapter describes this parallel implementation and demonstrates its computational efficiency on a Landsat Thematic Mapper test scene.

Fabrication and biocompatibility of poly(L-lactic acid) and chitosan composite scaffolds with hierarchical microstructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lou, Tao, E-mail: taolou72@aliyun.com [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China); Wang, Xuejun [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China); Yan, Xu [College of Physics & Collaborative Innovation Center for Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials and Optoelectronic Devices, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China); Miao, Yu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Long, Yun-Ze, E-mail: yunzelong@163.com [College of Physics & Collaborative Innovation Center for Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials and Optoelectronic Devices, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China); Yin, Hai-Lei [Department of Osteology, No. 401 Hospital of P. L. A., Qingdao 266071 (China); Sun, Bin [College of Physics & Collaborative Innovation Center for Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials and Optoelectronic Devices, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China); Song, Guojun [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China)

2016-07-01

The scaffold microstructure is crucial to reconstruct tissue normal functions. In this article, poly(L-lactic acid) and chitosan fiber (PLLA/CTSF) composite scaffolds with hierarchical microstructures both in fiber and pore sizes were successfully fabricated by combining thermal induced phase separation and salt leaching techniques. The composite scaffolds consisted of a nanofibrous PLLA matrix with diameter of 50–500 nm, and chitosan fibers with diameter of about 20 μm were homogenously distributed in the PLLA matrix as a microsized reinforcer. The composite scaffolds also had high porosity (> 94%) and hierarchical pore size, which were consisted of both micropores (50 nm–10 μm) and macropores (50–300 μm). By tailoring the microstructure and chemical composition, the mechanical property, pH buffer and protein adsorption capacity of the composite scaffold were improved significantly compared with those of PLLA scaffold. Cell culture results also revealed that the PLLA/CTSF composite scaffolds supported MG-63 osteoblast proliferation and penetration. - Highlights: • Composite scaffolds fabricated by combining thermal induced phase separation and salt leaching techniques • Hierarchical microstructure both in fiber and pore sizes • The scaffold microenvironment facilitates the protein adsorption, cell proliferation and penetration.

Simple and cost-effective fabrication of highly flexible, transparent superhydrophobic films with hierarchical surface design.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Tae-Hyun; Ha, Sung-Hun; Jang, Nam-Su; Kim, Jeonghyo; Kim, Ji Hoon; Park, Jong-Kweon; Lee, Deug-Woo; Lee, Jaebeom; Kim, Soo-Hyung; Kim, Jong-Man

2015-03-11

Optical transparency and mechanical flexibility are both of great importance for significantly expanding the applicability of superhydrophobic surfaces. Such features make it possible for functional surfaces to be applied to various glass-based products with different curvatures. In this work, we report on the simple and potentially cost-effective fabrication of highly flexible and transparent superhydrophobic films based on hierarchical surface design. The hierarchical surface morphology was easily fabricated by the simple transfer of a porous alumina membrane to the top surface of UV-imprinted polymeric micropillar arrays and subsequent chemical treatments. Through optimization of the hierarchical surface design, the resultant superhydrophobic films showed superior surface wetting properties (with a static contact angle of >170° and contact angle hysteresis of 82% at 550 nm wavelength). The superhydrophobic films were also experimentally found to be robust without significant degradation in the superhydrophobicity, even under repetitive bending and pressing for up to 2000 cycles. Finally, the practical usability of the proposed superhydorphobic films was clearly demonstrated by examining the antiwetting performance in real time while pouring water on the film and submerging the film in water.

Biomimetic hydrophobic surface fabricated by chemical etching method from hierarchically structured magnesium alloy substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yan; Yin, Xiaoming; Zhang, Jijia [Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), Jilin University, Changchun 130022 (China); Wang, Yaming [Institute for Advanced Ceramics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Han, Zhiwu, E-mail: zwhan@jlu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), Jilin University, Changchun 130022 (China); Ren, Luquan [Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), Jilin University, Changchun 130022 (China)

2013-09-01

As one of the lightest metal materials, magnesium alloy plays an important role in industry such as automobile, airplane and electronic product. However, magnesium alloy is hindered due to its high chemical activity and easily corroded. Here, inspired by typical plant surfaces such as lotus leaves and petals of red rose with super-hydrophobic character, the new hydrophobic surface is fabricated on magnesium alloy to improve anti-corrosion by two-step methodology. The procedure is that the samples are processed by laser first and then immersed and etched in the aqueous AgNO{sub 3} solution concentrations of 0.1 mol/L, 0.3 mol/L and 0.5 mol/L for different times of 15 s, 40 s and 60 s, respectively, finally modified by DTS (CH{sub 3}(CH{sub 2}){sub 11}Si(OCH{sub 3}){sub 3}). The microstructure, chemical composition, wettability and anti-corrosion are characterized by means of SEM, XPS, water contact angle measurement and electrochemical method. The hydrophobic surfaces with microscale crater-like and nanoscale flower-like binary structure are obtained. The low-energy material is contained in surface after DTS treatment. The contact angles could reach up to 138.4 ± 2°, which hydrophobic property is both related to the micro–nano binary structure and chemical composition. The results of electrochemical measurements show that anti-corrosion property of magnesium alloy is improved. Furthermore, our research is expected to create some ideas from natural enlightenment to improve anti-corrosion property of magnesium alloy while this method can be easily extended to other metal materials.

Comprehensive Mass Analysis for Chemical Processes, a Case Study on L-Dopa Manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

To evaluate the “greenness” of chemical processes in route selection and process development, we propose a comprehensive mass analysis to inform the stakeholders from different fields. This is carried out by characterizing the mass intensity for each contributing chemical or wast...

Subfemtosecond directional control of chemical processes in molecules

Science.gov (United States)

Alnaser, Ali S.; Litvinyuk, Igor V.

2017-02-01

Laser pulses with a waveform-controlled electric field and broken inversion symmetry establish the opportunity to achieve directional control of molecular processes on a subfemtosecond timescale. Several techniques could be used to break the inversion symmetry of an electric field. The most common ones include combining a fundamental laser frequency with its second harmonic or with higher -frequency pulses (or pulse trains) as well as using few-cycle pulses with known carrier-envelope phase (CEP). In the case of CEP, control over chemical transformations, typically occurring on a timescale of many femtoseconds, is driven by much faster sub-cycle processes of subfemtosecond to few-femtosecond duration. This is possible because electrons are much lighter than nuclei and fast electron motion is coupled to the much slower nuclear motion. The control originates from populating coherent superpositions of different electronic or vibrational states with relative phases that are dependent on the CEP or phase offset between components of a two-color pulse. In this paper, we review the recent progress made in the directional control over chemical processes, driven by intense few-cycle laser pulses a of waveform-tailored electric field, in different molecules.

Hierarchically structured lithium titanate for ultrafast charging in long-life high capacity batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Odziomek, Mateusz; Chaput, Frédéric; Rutkowska, Anna; Świerczek, Konrad; Olszewska, Danuta; Sitarz, Maciej; Lerouge, Frédéric; Parola, Stephane

2017-05-01

High-performance Li-ion batteries require materials with well-designed and controlled structures on nanometre and micrometre scales. Electrochemical properties can be enhanced by reducing crystallite size and by manipulating structure and morphology. Here we show a method for preparing hierarchically structured Li4Ti5O12 yielding nano- and microstructure well-suited for use in lithium-ion batteries. Scalable glycothermal synthesis yields well-crystallized primary 4-8 nm nanoparticles, assembled into porous secondary particles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals presence of Ti+4 only; combined with chemical analysis showing lithium deficiency, this suggests oxygen non-stoichiometry. Electron microscopy confirms hierarchical morphology of the obtained material. Extended cycling tests in half cells demonstrates capacity of 170 mAh g-1 and no sign of capacity fading after 1,000 cycles at 50C rate (charging completed in 72 s). The particular combination of nanostructure, microstructure and non-stoichiometry for the prepared lithium titanate is believed to underlie the observed electrochemical performance of material.

Physico-chemical, functional and processing attributes of some ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study was generated from six commercial potato varieties and studied for their physical, chemical, functional and processing attributes. Lady Rosetta followed by Hermes was the most appreciable varieties concerning their physical attributes. A positive correlation (R = 0.765) existed between tuber firmness and specific ...

Hierarchical cultural values predict success and mortality in high-stakes teams

Science.gov (United States)

Anicich, Eric M.; Swaab, Roderick I.; Galinsky, Adam D.

2015-01-01

Functional accounts of hierarchy propose that hierarchy increases group coordination and reduces conflict. In contrast, dysfunctional accounts claim that hierarchy impairs performance by preventing low-ranking team members from voicing their potentially valuable perspectives and insights. The current research presents evidence for both the functional and dysfunctional accounts of hierarchy within the same dataset. Specifically, we offer empirical evidence that hierarchical cultural values affect the outcomes of teams in high-stakes environments through group processes. Experimental data from a sample of expert mountain climbers from 27 countries confirmed that climbers expect that a hierarchical culture leads to improved team coordination among climbing teams, but impaired psychological safety and information sharing compared with an egalitarian culture. An archival analysis of 30,625 Himalayan mountain climbers from 56 countries on 5,104 expeditions found that hierarchy both elevated and killed in the Himalayas: Expeditions from more hierarchical countries had more climbers reach the summit, but also more climbers die along the way. Importantly, we established the role of group processes by showing that these effects occurred only for group, but not solo, expeditions. These findings were robust to controlling for environmental factors, risk preferences, expedition-level characteristics, country-level characteristics, and other cultural values. Overall, this research demonstrates that endorsing cultural values related to hierarchy can simultaneously improve and undermine group performance. PMID:25605883

A document processing pipeline for annotating chemical entities in scientific documents.

Science.gov (United States)

Campos, David; Matos, Sérgio; Oliveira, José L

2015-01-01

The recognition of drugs and chemical entities in text is a very important task within the field of biomedical information extraction, given the rapid growth in the amount of published texts (scientific papers, patents, patient records) and the relevance of these and other related concepts. If done effectively, this could allow exploiting such textual resources to automatically extract or infer relevant information, such as drug profiles, relations and similarities between drugs, or associations between drugs and potential drug targets. The objective of this work was to develop and validate a document processing and information extraction pipeline for the identification of chemical entity mentions in text. We used the BioCreative IV CHEMDNER task data to train and evaluate a machine-learning based entity recognition system. Using a combination of two conditional random field models, a selected set of features, and a post-processing stage, we achieved F-measure results of 87.48% in the chemical entity mention recognition task and 87.75% in the chemical document indexing task. We present a machine learning-based solution for automatic recognition of chemical and drug names in scientific documents. The proposed approach applies a rich feature set, including linguistic, orthographic, morphological, dictionary matching and local context features. Post-processing modules are also integrated, performing parentheses correction, abbreviation resolution and filtering erroneous mentions using an exclusion list derived from the training data. The developed methods were implemented as a document annotation tool and web service, freely available at http://bioinformatics.ua.pt/becas-chemicals/.

Synthesis of hierarchical porous materials with ZSM-5 structures via template-free sol–gel method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Han et al

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Interests are focused on preparation of hierarchical porous materials with zeolite structures by using soft or rigid templates in order to solve diffusion and mass transfer limitations resulting from the small pore sizes of zeolites. Here we develop a convenient template-free sol–gel method to synthesize hierarchical porous materials with ZSM-5 structures. This method involves hydrothermal recrystallization of the xerogel converted from uniform ZSM-5 sol by a vacuum drying process. By utilizing this method we can manipulate the size of zeolite nanocrystals as building units of porous structures based on controlling temperature of recrystallization, consequently obtain hierarchical porous materials with different intercrystalline pore sizes and ZSM-5 structures.

Hierarchical analysis of acceptable use policies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Laughton

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Acceptable use policies (AUPs are vital tools for organizations to protect themselves and their employees from misuse of computer facilities provided. A well structured, thorough AUP is essential for any organization. It is impossible for an effective AUP to deal with every clause and remain readable. For this reason, some sections of an AUP carry more weight than others, denoting importance. The methodology used to develop the hierarchical analysis is a literature review, where various sources were consulted. This hierarchical approach to AUP analysis attempts to highlight important sections and clauses dealt with in an AUP. The emphasis of the hierarchal analysis is to prioritize the objectives of an AUP.

Synthesis and formation process of SrSO{sub 4}:Sm{sup 3+} phosphors with hierarchical structures and its electron trapping luminescence properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Jiayue, E-mail: jiayue_sun@126.com; Sun, Guangchao; Xue, Bing; Cui, Dianpeng

2013-10-15

Highlights: •SrSO{sub 4} flower-like structures were synthesized by a aqueous solution route. •The as-prepared SrSO{sub 4} crystals have high crystalline. •The flower-like structures are composed of well aligned microtablets. •SrSO{sub 4} nuclei spontaneous attach by an “oriented attachment” process. •The SrSO{sub 4} crystals have excellent electron trapping luminescence properties. -- Abstract: Novel three-dimensional (3D) flower-like Strontium sulfate (SrSO{sub 4}) microstructures with hierarchical architecture were successfully fabricated by using Sr(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} react with Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} aqueous solution under ambient conditions at room temperature. The SrSO{sub 4} flower-like microcrystals have a uniform diameter of about 10 μm, which are composed of numerous well-aligned single tablet-like SrSO{sub 4} crystals oriented radially to their center. The growth mechanism of the flower-like hierarchical celestine particles is discussed to obtain a better understanding on their formation process. XRD patterns confirm the single crystal phase of SrSO{sub 4}. In the photoluminescence property investigations of SrSO{sub 4}:Sm{sup 3+}, narrow bands observed are well identified with the electronic transition configurations of Sm{sup 3+}. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra show that the temperature of maximum emission intensity is 25 °C. The thermal stability and electron trapping luminescence properties were also characterized.

Sustainable Chemical Processes and Products. New Design Methodology and Design Tools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korevaar, G.

2004-01-01

The current chemical industry is not sustainable, which leads to the fact that innovation of chemical processes and products is too often hazardous for society in general and the environment in particular. It really is a challenge to implement sustainability considerations in the design activities

Stress reaction process-based hierarchical recognition algorithm for continuous intrusion events in optical fiber prewarning system

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Hongquan; Yuan, Shijiao; Wang, Yanping; Yang, Dan

2018-04-01

To improve the recognition performance of optical fiber prewarning system (OFPS), this study proposed a hierarchical recognition algorithm (HRA). Compared with traditional methods, which employ only a complex algorithm that includes multiple extracted features and complex classifiers to increase the recognition rate with a considerable decrease in recognition speed, HRA takes advantage of the continuity of intrusion events, thereby creating a staged recognition flow inspired by stress reaction. HRA is expected to achieve high-level recognition accuracy with less time consumption. First, this work analyzed the continuity of intrusion events and then presented the algorithm based on the mechanism of stress reaction. Finally, it verified the time consumption through theoretical analysis and experiments, and the recognition accuracy was obtained through experiments. Experiment results show that the processing speed of HRA is 3.3 times faster than that of a traditional complicated algorithm and has a similar recognition rate of 98%. The study is of great significance to fast intrusion event recognition in OFPS.

Detoxifying of high strength textile effluent through chemical and bio-oxidation processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Manekar, Pravin; Patkar, Guarav; Aswale, Pawan; Mahure, Manisha; Nandy, Tapas

2014-04-01

Small-scale textile industries (SSTIs) in India struggled for the economic and environmental race. A full-scale common treatment plant (CETP) working on the principle of destabilising negative charge colloidal particles and bio-oxidation of dissolved organic failed to comply with Inland Surface Waters (ISW) standards. Thus, presence of intense colour and organics with elevated temperature inhibited the process stability. Bench scale treatability studies were conducted on chemical and biological processes for its full-scale apps to detoxify a high strength textile process effluent. Colour, SS and COD removals from the optimised chemical process were 88%, 70% and 40%, respectively. Heterotrophic bacteria oxidised COD and BOD more than 84% and 90% at a loading rate 0.0108kgm(-3)d(-1) at 3h HRT. The combined chemical and bio-oxidation processes showed a great promise for detoxifying the toxic process effluent, and implemented in full-scale CETP. The post-assessment of the CETP resulted in detoxify the toxic effluent. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Virtual timers in hierarchical real-time systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heuvel, van den M.M.H.P.; Holenderski, M.J.; Cools, W.A.; Bril, R.J.; Lukkien, J.J.; Zhu, D.

2009-01-01

Hierarchical scheduling frameworks (HSFs) provide means for composing complex real-time systems from welldefined subsystems. This paper describes an approach to provide hierarchically scheduled real-time applications with virtual event timers, motivated by the need for integrating priority

Nonequilibrium thermodynamics transport and rate processes in physical, chemical and biological systems

CERN Document Server

Demirel, Yasar

2014-01-01

Natural phenomena consist of simultaneously occurring transport processes and chemical reactions. These processes may interact with each other and may lead to self-organized structures, fluctuations, instabilities, and evolutionary systems. Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics, 3rd edition emphasizes the unifying role of thermodynamics in analyzing the natural phenomena. This third edition updates and expands on the first and second editions by focusing on the general balance equations for coupled processes of physical, chemical, and biological systems. The new edition contains a new chapte

Construction of 3D Arrays of Cylindrically Hierarchical Structures with ZnO Nanorods Hydrothermally Synthesized on Optical Fiber Cores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weixuan Jing

2014-01-01

Full Text Available With ZnO nanorods hydrothermally synthesized on manually assembled arrays of optical fiber cores, 3D arrays of ZnO nanorod-based cylindrically hierarchical structures with nominal pitch 250 μm or 375 μm were constructed. Based on micrographs of scanning electron microscopy and image processing operators of MATLAB software, the 3D arrays of cylindrically hierarchical structures were quantitatively characterized. The values of the actual diameters, the actual pitches, and the parallelism errors suggest that the process capability of the manual assembling is sufficient and the quality of the 3D arrays of cylindrically hierarchical structures is acceptable. The values of the characteristic parameters such as roughness, skewness, kurtosis, correlation length, and power spectrum density show that the surface morphologies of the cylindrically hierarchical structures not only were affected significantly by Zn2+ concentration of the growth solution but also were anisotropic due to different curvature radii of the optical fiber core at side and front view.

The hierarchical expert tuning of PID controllers using tools of soft computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Karray, F; Gueaieb, W; Al-Sharhan, S

2002-01-01

We present soft computing-based results pertaining to the hierarchical tuning process of PID controllers located within the control loop of a class of nonlinear systems. The results are compared with PID controllers implemented either in a stand alone scheme or as a part of conventional gain scheduling structure. This work is motivated by the increasing need in the industry to design highly reliable and efficient controllers for dealing with regulation and tracking capabilities of complex processes characterized by nonlinearities and possibly time varying parameters. The soft computing-based controllers proposed are hybrid in nature in that they integrate within a well-defined hierarchical structure the benefits of hard algorithmic controllers with those having supervisory capabilities. The controllers proposed also have the distinct features of learning and auto-tuning without the need for tedious and computationally extensive online systems identification schemes.

Hierarchical modeling and analysis for spatial data

CERN Document Server

Banerjee, Sudipto; Gelfand, Alan E

2003-01-01

Among the many uses of hierarchical modeling, their application to the statistical analysis of spatial and spatio-temporal data from areas such as epidemiology And environmental science has proven particularly fruitful. Yet to date, the few books that address the subject have been either too narrowly focused on specific aspects of spatial analysis, or written at a level often inaccessible to those lacking a strong background in mathematical statistics.Hierarchical Modeling and Analysis for Spatial Data is the first accessible, self-contained treatment of hierarchical methods, modeling, and dat

A hierarchical structure through imprinting of a polyimide precursor without residual layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pai, I-Ting; Hon, Min-Hsiung; Leu, Ing-Chi

2008-01-01

A patterned polyimide without a residual layer is obtained by imprinting with the assistance of a residual solvent. The effects of the wetting behaviors of the poly-amic acid (PAA) solution coated on various surfaces are examined and the formation of hierarchical patterns without residual layers is demonstrated. polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and PEI/PDMS are used as imprinting molds with Si and 300 nm SiO 2 /Si as substrates. The results indicate that the various ambits of patterns without a residual layer are formed due to the dewetting phenomena caused by surface tension (Suh 2006 Small 2 832). During imprinting, PDMS with a low surface energy makes the PAA solution flow away from its surface exposing the contact area due to dewetting. Self-organized hierarchical structures are also obtained from this process due to effective dewetting. The present study provides a new approach for fabricating patterns without residual layers and the consequent preparation of hierarchical structures, which is considered to be impossible using the lithographic technique

Status summary of chemical processing development in plutonium-238 supply program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collins, Emory D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Benker, Dennis [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Wham, Robert M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); DePaoli, David W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Delmau, Laetitia Helene [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Sherman, Steven R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-10-01

This document summarizes the status of development of chemical processing in the Plutonium-238 Supply Program (PSP) near the end of Demonstration 1. The objective of the PSP is “to develop, demonstrate, and document a production process that meets program objectives and to prepare for its operation” (Frazier et al. 2016). Success in the effort includes establishing capability using the current infrastructure to produce Np targets for irradiation in Department of Energy research reactors, chemically processing the irradiated targets to separate and purify the produced Pu and transferring the PuO₂ product to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at an average rate of 1.5 kg/y.

Encoding of Fundamental Chemical Entities of Organic Reactivity Interest using chemical ontology and XML.

Science.gov (United States)

Durairaj, Vijayasarathi; Punnaivanam, Sankar

2015-09-01

Fundamental chemical entities are identified in the context of organic reactivity and classified as appropriate concept classes namely ElectronEntity, AtomEntity, AtomGroupEntity, FunctionalGroupEntity and MolecularEntity. The entity classes and their subclasses are organized into a chemical ontology named "ChemEnt" for the purpose of assertion, restriction and modification of properties through entity relations. Individual instances of entity classes are defined and encoded as a library of chemical entities in XML. The instances of entity classes are distinguished with a unique notation and identification values in order to map them with the ontology definitions. A model GUI named Entity Table is created to view graphical representations of all the entity instances. The detection of chemical entities in chemical structures is achieved through suitable algorithms. The possibility of asserting properties to the entities at different levels and the mechanism of property flow within the hierarchical entity levels is outlined. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of chemical processing on the imaging properties of microlenses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasiljevic, Darko; Muric, Branka; Pantelic, Dejan; Panic, Bratimir

2009-01-01

Microlenses are produced by irradiation of a layer of tot'hema and eosin sensitized gelatin (TESG) by using a laser beam (Nd:YAG 2nd harmonic; 532 nm). All the microlenses obtained are concave with a parabolic profile. After the production, the microlenses are chemically processed with various concentrations of alum. The following imaging properties of microlenses were calculated and analyzed: the root mean square (rms) wavefront aberration, the geometric encircled energy and the spot diagram. The microlenses with higher concentrations of alum in solution had a greater effective focal length and better image quality. The microlenses chemically processed with 10% alum solution had near-diffraction-limited performance.

Hierarchical organization versus self-organization

OpenAIRE

Busseniers, Evo

2014-01-01

In this paper we try to define the difference between hierarchical organization and self-organization. Organization is defined as a structure with a function. So we can define the difference between hierarchical organization and self-organization both on the structure as on the function. In the next two chapters these two definitions are given. For the structure we will use some existing definitions in graph theory, for the function we will use existing theory on (self-)organization. In the t...

Stochastic processes in chemical physics

CERN Document Server

Shuler, K E

2009-01-01

The Advances in Chemical Physics series provides the chemical physics and physical chemistry fields with a forum for critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in every area of the discipline. Filled with cutting-edge research reported in a cohesive manner not found elsewhere in the literature, each volume of the Advances in Chemical Physics series serves as the perfect supplement to any advanced graduate class devoted to the study of chemical physics.

Security risk assessment and protection in the chemical and process industry

OpenAIRE

Reniers, Genserik; van Lerberghe, Paul; van Gulijk, Coen

2014-01-01

This article describes a security risk assessment and protection methodology that was developed for use in the chemical- and process industry in Belgium. The approach of the method follows a risk-based approach that follows desing principles for chemical safety. That approach is beneficial for workers in the chemical industry because they recognize the steps in this model from familiar safety models .The model combines the rings-of-protection approach with generic security practices including...

Hierarchical Self Assembly of Patterns from the Robinson Tilings: DNA Tile Design in an Enhanced Tile Assembly Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla, Jennifer E; Liu, Wenyan; Seeman, Nadrian C

2012-06-01

We introduce a hierarchical self assembly algorithm that produces the quasiperiodic patterns found in the Robinson tilings and suggest a practical implementation of this algorithm using DNA origami tiles. We modify the abstract Tile Assembly Model, (aTAM), to include active signaling and glue activation in response to signals to coordinate the hierarchical assembly of Robinson patterns of arbitrary size from a small set of tiles according to the tile substitution algorithm that generates them. Enabling coordinated hierarchical assembly in the aTAM makes possible the efficient encoding of the recursive process of tile substitution.

Survey of knowledge of hazards of chemicals potentially associated with the advanced isotope separation processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chester, R.O.; Kirkscey, K.A.; Randolph, M.L.

1979-09-01

Hazards of chemical potentially associated with the advanced isotope separation processes are estimated based on open literature references. The tentative quantity of each chemical associated with the processes and the toxicity of the chemical are used to estimate this hazard. The chemicals thus estimated to be the most potentially hazardous to health are fluorine, nitric acid, uranium metal, uranium hexafluoride, and uranium dust. The estimated next most hazardous chemicals are bromine, hydrobromic acid, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid. For each of these chemicals and for a number of other process-associated chemicals the following information is presented: (1) any applicable standards, recommended standards and their basis; (2) a brief discussion to toxic effects including short exposure tolerance, atmospheric concentration immediately hazardous to life, evaluation of exposures, recommended control procedures, chemical properties, and a list of any toxicology reviews; and (3) recommendations for future research

Survey of knowledge of hazards of chemicals potentially associated with the advanced isotope separation processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chester, R.O.; Kirkscey, K.A.; Randolph, M.L.

1979-09-01

Hazards of chemical potentially associated with the advanced isotope separation processes are estimated based on open literature references. The tentative quantity of each chemical associated with the processes and the toxicity of the chemical are used to estimate this hazard. The chemicals thus estimated to be the most potentially hazardous to health are fluorine, nitric acid, uranium metal, uranium hexafluoride, and uranium dust. The estimated next most hazardous chemicals are bromine, hydrobromic acid, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid. For each of these chemicals and for a number of other process-associated chemicals the following information is presented: (1) any applicable standards, recommended standards and their basis; (2) a brief discussion to toxic effects including short exposure tolerance, atmospheric concentration immediately hazardous to life, evaluation of exposures, recommended control procedures, chemical properties, and a list of any toxicology reviews; and (3) recommendations for future research.

A survey of process control computers at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahl, C.A.

1989-01-01

The Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is charged with the safe processing of spent nuclear fuel elements for the United States Department of Energy. The ICPP was originally constructed in the late 1950s and used state-of-the-art technology for process control at that time. The state of process control instrumentation at the ICPP has steadily improved to keep pace with emerging technology. Today, the ICPP is a college of emerging computer technology in process control with some systems as simple as standalone measurement computers while others are state-of-the-art distributed control systems controlling the operations in an entire facility within the plant. The ICPP has made maximal use of process computer technology aimed at increasing surety, safety, and efficiency of the process operations. Many benefits have been derived from the use of the computers for minimal costs, including decreased misoperations in the facility, and more benefits are expected in the future

Application of nonliner reduction techniques in chemical process modeling: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhaimin, Z; Aziz, N.; Abd Shukor, S.R.

2006-01-01

Model reduction techniques have been used widely in engineering fields for electrical, mechanical as well as chemical engineering. The basic idea of reduction technique is to replace the original system by an approximating system with much smaller state-space dimension. A reduced order model is more beneficial to process and industrial field in terms of control purposes. This paper is to provide a review on application of nonlinear reduction techniques in chemical processes. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique reviewed are also highlighted

Hierarchical porous carbon aerogel derived from bagasse for high performance supercapacitor electrode.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Pin; Zhao, Zhenhuan; Tian, Jian; Li, Haidong; Sang, Yuanhua; Yu, Guangwei; Cai, Huaqiang; Liu, Hong; Wong, C P; Umar, Ahmad

2014-10-21

Renewable, cost-effective and eco-friendly electrode materials have attracted much attention in the energy conversion and storage fields. Bagasse, the waste product from sugarcane that mainly contains cellulose derivatives, can be a promising candidate to manufacture supercapacitor electrode materials. This study demonstrates the fabrication and characterization of highly porous carbon aerogels by using bagasse as a raw material. Macro and mesoporous carbon was first prepared by carbonizing the freeze-dried bagasse aerogel; consequently, microporous structure was created on the walls of the mesoporous carbon by chemical activation. Interestingly, it was observed that the specific surface area, the pore size and distribution of the hierarchical porous carbon were affected by the activation temperature. In order to evaluate the ability of the hierarchical porous carbon towards the supercapacitor electrode performance, solid state symmetric supercapacitors were assembled, and a comparable high specific capacitance of 142.1 F g(-1) at a discharge current density of 0.5 A g(-1) was demonstrated. The fabricated solid state supercapacitor displayed excellent capacitance retention of 93.9% over 5000 cycles. The high energy storage ability of the hierarchical porous carbon was attributed to the specially designed pore structures, i.e., co-existence of the micropores and mesopores. This research has demonstrated that utilization of sustainable biopolymers as the raw materials for high performance supercapacitor electrode materials is an effective way to fabricate low-cost energy storage devices.

Impact of Salt Waste Processing Facility Streams on the Nitric-Glycolic Flowsheet in the Chemical Processing Cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martino, C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-08-08

An evaluation of the previous Chemical Processing Cell (CPC) testing was performed to determine whether the planned concurrent operation, or “coupled” operations, of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) with the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) has been adequately covered. Tests with the nitricglycolic acid flowsheet, which were both coupled and uncoupled with salt waste streams, included several tests that required extended boiling times. This report provides the evaluation of previous testing and the testing recommendation requested by Savannah River Remediation. The focus of the evaluation was impact on flammability in CPC vessels (i.e., hydrogen generation rate, SWPF solvent components, antifoam degradation products) and processing impacts (i.e., acid window, melter feed target, rheological properties, antifoam requirements, and chemical composition).

The new risk paradigm for chemical process security and safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, David A

2004-11-11

The world of safety and security in the chemical process industries has certainly changed since 11 September, but the biggest challenges may be yet to come. This paper will explain that there is a new risk management paradigm for chemical security, discuss the differences in interpreting this risk versus accidental risk, and identify the challenges we can anticipate will occur in the future on this issue. Companies need to be ready to manage the new chemical security responsibilities and to exceed the expectations of the public and regulators. This paper will outline the challenge and a suggested course of action.

Dual Sticky Hierarchical Dirichlet Process Hidden Markov Model and Its Application to Natural Language Description of Motions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Weiming; Tian, Guodong; Kang, Yongxin; Yuan, Chunfeng; Maybank, Stephen

2017-09-25

In this paper, a new nonparametric Bayesian model called the dual sticky hierarchical Dirichlet process hidden Markov model (HDP-HMM) is proposed for mining activities from a collection of time series data such as trajectories. All the time series data are clustered. Each cluster of time series data, corresponding to a motion pattern, is modeled by an HMM. Our model postulates a set of HMMs that share a common set of states (topics in an analogy with topic models for document processing), but have unique transition distributions. For the application to motion trajectory modeling, topics correspond to motion activities. The learnt topics are clustered into atomic activities which are assigned predicates. We propose a Bayesian inference method to decompose a given trajectory into a sequence of atomic activities. On combining the learnt sources and sinks, semantic motion regions, and the learnt sequence of atomic activities, the action represented by the trajectory can be described in natural language in as automatic a way as possible. The effectiveness of our dual sticky HDP-HMM is validated on several trajectory datasets. The effectiveness of the natural language descriptions for motions is demonstrated on the vehicle trajectories extracted from a traffic scene.

Mechanochemistry-assisted synthesis of hierarchical porous carbons applied as supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Leistenschneider, Desirée; Jäckel, Nicolas; Hippauf, Felix; Presser, Volker

2017-01-01

A solvent-free synthesis of hierarchical porous carbons is conducted by a facile and fast mechanochemical reaction in a ball mill. By means of a mechanochemical ball-milling approach, we obtained titanium(IV) citrate-based polymers, which have been processed via high temperature chlorine treatment to hierarchical porous carbons with a high specific surface area of up to 1814 m2 g−1 and well-defined pore structures. The carbons are applied as electrode materials in electric double-layer capacitors showing high specific capacitances with 98 F g−1 in organic and 138 F g−1 in an ionic liquid electrolyte as well as good rate capabilities, maintaining 87% of the initial capacitance with 1 M TEA-BF4 in acetonitrile (ACN) and 81% at 10 A g−1 in EMIM-BF4. PMID:28781699

SAR Imagery Segmentation by Statistical Region Growing and Hierarchical Merging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ushizima, Daniela Mayumi; Carvalho, E.A.; Medeiros, F.N.S.; Martins, C.I.O.; Marques, R.C.P.; Oliveira, I.N.S.

2010-05-22

This paper presents an approach to accomplish synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image segmentation, which are corrupted by speckle noise. Some ordinary segmentation techniques may require speckle filtering previously. Our approach performs radar image segmentation using the original noisy pixels as input data, eliminating preprocessing steps, an advantage over most of the current methods. The algorithm comprises a statistical region growing procedure combined with hierarchical region merging to extract regions of interest from SAR images. The region growing step over-segments the input image to enable region aggregation by employing a combination of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test with a hierarchical stepwise optimization (HSWO) algorithm for the process coordination. We have tested and assessed the proposed technique on artificially speckled image and real SAR data containing different types of targets.

Integrated computer-aided framework for chemical product and process application design and optimization for waste heat recovery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cignitti, Stefano; Woodley, John M.; Abildskov, Jens

2017-01-01

This contribution presents an integrated framework for product-process design. The framework integrates the two design problems into one and finds the optimal solution through simultaneous optimization. The framework consists of four hierarchical steps and uses a set of methods, tools and databases...... for property prediction, novel fluid design and mathematical programming. The application of the framework is targeted for waste heat recovery design systems, where the sensitivity of product and process design variables is high and the simultaneous design is necessary. The sustainable design solutions...... are showcased in this paper for mixed refrigeration design....

Yellow phosphorus process to convert toxic chemicals to non-toxic products

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, S.G.

1994-07-26

The present invention relates to a process for generating reactive species for destroying toxic chemicals. This process first contacts air or oxygen with aqueous emulsions of molten yellow phosphorus. This contact results in rapid production of abundant reactive species such as O, O[sub 3], PO, PO[sub 2], etc. A gaseous or liquid aqueous solution organic or inorganic chemicals is next contacted by these reactive species to reduce the concentration of toxic chemical and result in a non-toxic product. The final oxidation product of yellow phosphorus is phosphoric acid of a quality which can be recovered for commercial use. A process is developed such that the byproduct, phosphoric acid, is obtained without contamination of toxic species in liquids treated. A gas stream containing ozone without contamination of phosphorus containing species is also obtained in a simple and cost-effective manner. This process is demonstrated to be effective for destroying many types of toxic organic, or inorganic, compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), aromatic chlorides, amines, alcohols, acids, nitro aromatics, aliphatic chlorides, polynuclear aromatic compounds (PAH), dyes, pesticides, sulfides, hydroxyamines, ureas, dithionates and the like. 20 figs.

Simultaneous modulation of surface composition, oxygen vacancies and assembly in hierarchical Co3O4 mesoporous nanostructures for lithium storage and electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Hongyu; Zhao, Yanyan; Mølhave, Kristian

2017-01-01

in superior electrochemical properties when used as the anode materials for lithium-ion batteries and as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of novel hierarchical morphology, crystal structure of the active...... materials, the improvement of intrinsic conductivity and inner surface area induced by the oxygen vacancies. The present strategy not only provides a facile method to assemble novel hierarchical architectures, but also paves a way to control surface structures (chemical composition and crystal defects...

Multimodal Hierarchical Dirichlet Process-Based Active Perception by a Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tadahiro Taniguchi

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an active perception method for recognizing object categories based on the multimodal hierarchical Dirichlet process (MHDP. The MHDP enables a robot to form object categories using multimodal information, e.g., visual, auditory, and haptic information, which can be observed by performing actions on an object. However, performing many actions on a target object requires a long time. In a real-time scenario, i.e., when the time is limited, the robot has to determine the set of actions that is most effective for recognizing a target object. We propose an active perception for MHDP method that uses the information gain (IG maximization criterion and lazy greedy algorithm. We show that the IG maximization criterion is optimal in the sense that the criterion is equivalent to a minimization of the expected Kullback–Leibler divergence between a final recognition state and the recognition state after the next set of actions. However, a straightforward calculation of IG is practically impossible. Therefore, we derive a Monte Carlo approximation method for IG by making use of a property of the MHDP. We also show that the IG has submodular and non-decreasing properties as a set function because of the structure of the graphical model of the MHDP. Therefore, the IG maximization problem is reduced to a submodular maximization problem. This means that greedy and lazy greedy algorithms are effective and have a theoretical justification for their performance. We conducted an experiment using an upper-torso humanoid robot and a second one using synthetic data. The experimental results show that the method enables the robot to select a set of actions that allow it to recognize target objects quickly and accurately. The numerical experiment using the synthetic data shows that the proposed method can work appropriately even when the number of actions is large and a set of target objects involves objects categorized into multiple classes

Deliberate change without hierarchical influence?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørskov, Sladjana; Kesting, Peter; Ulhøi, John Parm

2017-01-01

reveals that deliberate change is indeed achievable in a non-hierarchical collaborative OSS community context. However, it presupposes the presence and active involvement of informal change agents. The paper identifies and specifies four key drivers for change agents’ influence. Originality....../value The findings contribute to organisational analysis by providing a deeper understanding of the importance of leadership in making deliberate change possible in non-hierarchical settings. It points to the importance of “change-by-conviction”, essentially based on voluntary behaviour. This can open the door...

Multiparty hierarchical quantum-information splitting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xinwen; Zhang Dengyu; Tang Shiqing; Xie Lijun

2011-01-01

We propose a scheme for multiparty hierarchical quantum-information splitting (QIS) with a multipartite entangled state, where a boss distributes a secret quantum state to two grades of agents asymmetrically. The agents who belong to different grades have different authorities for recovering the boss's secret. Except for the boss's Bell-state measurement, no nonlocal operation is involved. The presented scheme is also shown to be secure against eavesdropping. Such a hierarchical QIS is expected to find useful applications in the field of modern multipartite quantum cryptography.

Activities of the Institute of Chemical Processing of Coal at Zabrze

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dreszer, K.

1995-12-31

The Institute of Chemical Processing of Coal at Zabrze was established in 1955. The works on carbochemical technologies have been, therefore, carried out at the Institute for 40 years. The targets of the Institute`s activities are research, scientific and developing works regarding a sensible utilization of fuels via their processing into more refined forms, safe environment, highly efficient use of energy carriers and technological products of special quality. The Institute of Chemical Processing of Coal has been dealing with the following: optimized use of home hard coals; improvement of classic coal coking technologies, processing and utilization of volatile coking products; production technologies of low emission rate fuels for communal management; analyses of coal processing technologies; new technologies aimed at increasing the efficiency of coal utilization for energy-generating purposes, especially in industry and studies on the ecological aspects of these processes; production technologies of sorbents and carbon activating agents and technologies of the utilization; rationalization of water and wastes management in the metallurgical and chemical industries in connection with removal of pollution especially dangerous to the environment from wastes; utilization technologies of refined materials (electrode cokes, binders, impregnating agents) for making electrodes, refractories and new generation construction carbon materials; production technologies of high quality bituminous and bituminous and resin coating, anti-corrosive and insulation materials; environmentally friendly utilization technologies for power station, mine and other wastes, and dedusting processes in industrial gas streams.

Expert hierarchical selection of oil and gas distribution systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frankel, E.G.

1991-01-01

Selection and design of oil and gas distribution systems involves a large number of decision makers and interest groups, as well as many alternative technical, financial, network, operating, management and regulatory options. Their objectives and measures of performance are different. Decision models can be effectively represented by hierarchical structures. A simple deterministic analytic hierarchy process is presented with application to oil and gas distribution systems

Modeling and optimization of CO2 capture processes by chemical absorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neveux, Thibaut

2013-01-01

CO 2 capture processes by chemical absorption lead to a large energy penalty on efficiency of coal-fired power plants, establishing one of the main bottleneck to its industrial deployment. The objective of this thesis is the development and validation of a global methodology, allowing the precise evaluation of the potential of a given amine capture process. Characteristic phenomena of chemical absorption have been thoroughly studied and represented with state-of-the-art models. The e-UNIQUAC model has been used to describe vapor-liquid and chemical equilibria of electrolyte solutions and the model parameters have been identified for four solvents. A rate-based formulation has been adopted for the representation of chemically enhanced heat and mass transfer in columns. The absorption and stripping models have been successfully validated against experimental data from an industrial and a laboratory pilot plants. The influence of the numerous phenomena has been investigated in order to highlight the most limiting ones. A methodology has been proposed to evaluate the total energy penalty resulting from the implementation of a capture process on an advanced supercritical coal-fired power plant, including thermal and electric consumptions. Then, the simulation and process evaluation environments have been coupled with a non-linear optimization algorithm in order to find optimal operating and design parameters with respect to energetic and economic performances. This methodology has been applied to optimize five process flow schemes operating with an monoethanolamine aqueous solution at 30% by weight: the conventional flow scheme and four process modifications. The performance comparison showed that process modifications using a heat pump effect give the best gains. The use of technical-economic analysis as an evaluation criterion of a process performance, coupled with a optimization algorithm, has proved its capability to find values for the numerous operating and design

Biased trapping issue on weighted hierarchical networks

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

archical networks which are based on the classic scale-free hierarchical networks. ... Weighted hierarchical networks; weight-dependent walks; mean first passage ..... The weighted networks can mimic some real-world natural and social systems to ... the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education ...

Hierarchical oxide-based composite nanostructures for energy, environmental, and sensing applications

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Pu-Xian; Shimpi, Paresh; Cai, Wenjie; Gao, Haiyong; Jian, Dunliang; Wrobel, Gregory

2011-02-01

Self-assembled composite nanostructures integrate various basic nano-elements such as nanoparticles, nanofilms and nanowires toward realizing multifunctional characteristics, which promises an important route with potentially high reward for the fast evolving nanoscience and nanotechnology. A broad array of hierarchical metal oxide based nanostructures have been designed and fabricated in our research group, involving semiconductor metal oxides, ternary functional oxides such as perovskites and spinels and quaternary dielectric hydroxyl metal oxides with diverse applications in efficient energy harvesting/saving/utilization, environmental protection/control, chemical sensing and thus impacting major grand challenges in the area of materials and nanotechnology. Two of our latest research activities have been highlighted specifically in semiconductor oxide alloy nanowires and metal oxide/perovskite composite nanowires, which could impact the application sectors in ultraviolet/blue lighting, visible solar absorption, vehicle and industry emission control, chemical sensing and control for vehicle combustors and power plants.

Bottom-up learning of hierarchical models in a class of deterministic POMDP environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Itoh Hideaki

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The theory of partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs is a useful tool for developing various intelligent agents, and learning hierarchical POMDP models is one of the key approaches for building such agents when the environments of the agents are unknown and large. To learn hierarchical models, bottom-up learning methods in which learning takes place in a layer-by-layer manner from the lowest to the highest layer are already extensively used in some research fields such as hidden Markov models and neural networks. However, little attention has been paid to bottom-up approaches for learning POMDP models. In this paper, we present a novel bottom-up learning algorithm for hierarchical POMDP models and prove that, by using this algorithm, a perfect model (i.e., a model that can perfectly predict future observations can be learned at least in a class of deterministic POMDP environments

Down Select Report of Chemical Hydrogen Storage Materials, Catalysts, and Spent Fuel Regeneration Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ott, Kevin; Linehan, Sue; Lipiecki, Frank; Aardahl, Christopher L.

2008-08-24

The DOE Hydrogen Storage Program is focused on identifying and developing viable hydrogen storage systems for onboard vehicular applications. The program funds exploratory research directed at identifying new materials and concepts for storage of hydrogen having high gravimetric and volumetric capacities that have the potential to meet long term technical targets for onboard storage. Approaches currently being examined are reversible metal hydride storage materials, reversible hydrogen sorption systems, and chemical hydrogen storage systems. The latter approach concerns materials that release hydrogen in endothermic or exothermic chemical bond-breaking processes. To regenerate the spent fuels arising from hydrogen release from such materials, chemical processes must be employed. These chemical regeneration processes are envisioned to occur offboard the vehicle.

Hierarchical porous Co3O4 films with size-adjustable pores as Li ion battery anodes with excellent rate performances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Guangyu; Xu, Zhanming; Zhang, Li; Sun, Kening

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Template-free synthesis of hierarchical porous Co 3 O 4 films on Ni foams. •Hierarchical porous Co 3 O 4 films with size-adjustable pores. •Excellent rate performances (650 mAh g −1 at 30 C) as Li ion battery anodes. -- Abstract: Constructing hierarchical porous structures on the current collectors is an attractive strategy for improving the rate performance of the Li ion battery electrodes. However, preparing hierarchical porous structures normally requires hard or soft templates to create hollows or pores in different sizes. Rigorous preparation conditions are needed to control the size (especially nanosize) and size distribution of the pores obtained by conventional methods. Herein, we describe a template-free two-step synthesis process to prepare hierarchical porous Co 3 O 4 films on Ni foam substrates. In this synthesis process, free-standing mesoporous precursor flakes are deposited on Ni foams by an electrochemical method. Subsequently, the meosporous precursor flake arrays are calcined to obtain hierarchical porous Co 3 O 4 films. More strikingly, the size of the mesopores in the flakes can be adjusted by altering the calcination temperature. The structure and morphology of the samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements. The relationship of the in-flake-pore size and the calcinations temperature is proposed here. Electrochemical tests have revealed that the hierarchical porous Co 3 O 4 films demonstrate excellent rate performances (650 mAh g −1 at 30 C) as Li ion battery anodes due to the hierarchical porous structure, which endows fast ion transmission

Hierarchical modelling for the environmental sciences statistical methods and applications

CERN Document Server

Clark, James S

2006-01-01

New statistical tools are changing the way in which scientists analyze and interpret data and models. Hierarchical Bayes and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods for analysis provide a consistent framework for inference and prediction where information is heterogeneous and uncertain, processes are complicated, and responses depend on scale. Nowhere are these methods more promising than in the environmental sciences.

Chemical sensors and gas sensors for process control in biotechnology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, D.E.

1988-04-01

This paper is concerned with the possibilities for chemical measurement of the progress of biotechnological processes which are offered by devices already developed for other demanding applications. It considers the potential use of ultrasonic instrumentation originally developed for the nuclear industry, gas measurement methods from the fields of environmental monitoring and combustion control, nuclear instruments developed for the oil, mining and chemical industries, robotic systems and advanced control techniques. (author)

Anti-hierarchical evolution of the active galactic nucleus space density in a hierarchical universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enoki, Motohiro; Ishiyama, Tomoaki; Kobayashi, Masakazu A. R.; Nagashima, Masahiro

2014-01-01

Recent observations show that the space density of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) peaks at higher redshifts than that of faint AGNs. This downsizing trend in the AGN evolution seems to be contradictory to the hierarchical structure formation scenario. In this study, we present the AGN space density evolution predicted by a semi-analytic model of galaxy and AGN formation based on the hierarchical structure formation scenario. We demonstrate that our model can reproduce the downsizing trend of the AGN space density evolution. The reason for the downsizing trend in our model is a combination of the cold gas depletion as a consequence of star formation, the gas cooling suppression in massive halos, and the AGN lifetime scaling with the dynamical timescale. We assume that a major merger of galaxies causes a starburst, spheroid formation, and cold gas accretion onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH). We also assume that this cold gas accretion triggers AGN activity. Since the cold gas is mainly depleted by star formation and gas cooling is suppressed in massive dark halos, the amount of cold gas accreted onto SMBHs decreases with cosmic time. Moreover, AGN lifetime increases with cosmic time. Thus, at low redshifts, major mergers do not always lead to luminous AGNs. Because the luminosity of AGNs is correlated with the mass of accreted gas onto SMBHs, the space density of luminous AGNs decreases more quickly than that of faint AGNs. We conclude that the anti-hierarchical evolution of the AGN space density is not contradictory to the hierarchical structure formation scenario.

Anti-hierarchical evolution of the active galactic nucleus space density in a hierarchical universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enoki, Motohiro [Faculty of Business Administration, Tokyo Keizai University, Kokubunji, Tokyo 185-8502 (Japan); Ishiyama, Tomoaki [Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577 (Japan); Kobayashi, Masakazu A. R. [Research Center for Space and Cosmic Evolution, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577 (Japan); Nagashima, Masahiro, E-mail: enokimt@tku.ac.jp [Faculty of Education, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8521 (Japan)

2014-10-10

Recent observations show that the space density of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) peaks at higher redshifts than that of faint AGNs. This downsizing trend in the AGN evolution seems to be contradictory to the hierarchical structure formation scenario. In this study, we present the AGN space density evolution predicted by a semi-analytic model of galaxy and AGN formation based on the hierarchical structure formation scenario. We demonstrate that our model can reproduce the downsizing trend of the AGN space density evolution. The reason for the downsizing trend in our model is a combination of the cold gas depletion as a consequence of star formation, the gas cooling suppression in massive halos, and the AGN lifetime scaling with the dynamical timescale. We assume that a major merger of galaxies causes a starburst, spheroid formation, and cold gas accretion onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH). We also assume that this cold gas accretion triggers AGN activity. Since the cold gas is mainly depleted by star formation and gas cooling is suppressed in massive dark halos, the amount of cold gas accreted onto SMBHs decreases with cosmic time. Moreover, AGN lifetime increases with cosmic time. Thus, at low redshifts, major mergers do not always lead to luminous AGNs. Because the luminosity of AGNs is correlated with the mass of accreted gas onto SMBHs, the space density of luminous AGNs decreases more quickly than that of faint AGNs. We conclude that the anti-hierarchical evolution of the AGN space density is not contradictory to the hierarchical structure formation scenario.

Chemical process measurements in PWR-type nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaeser, E.

1978-01-01

In order to achieve high levels of availability of nuclear power plants equipped with pressurized water reactors, strict standards have to be applied to the purity of coolant and of other media. Chemical process measurements can meet these requirements only if programmes are established giving maximum information with minimum expenditure and if these programmes are realized with effective analytical methods. Analysis programmes known from literature are proved for their usefulness, and hints are given for establishing rational programmes. Analytical techniques are compared with each other taking into consideration both methods which have already been introduced into nuclear power plant practice and methods not yet generally used in practice, such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry, gas chromatography, etc. Finally, based on the state of the art of chemical process measurements in nuclear power plants, the trends of future development are pointed out. (author)

Fluorine- and iron-modified hierarchical anatase microsphere photocatalyst for water cleaning: facile wet chemical synthesis and wavelength-sensitive photocatalytic reactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shaohong; Sun, Xudong; Li, Ji-Guang; Li, Xiaodong; Xiu, Zhimeng; Yang, He; Xue, Xiangxin

2010-03-16

High photocatalytic efficiency, easy recovery, and no biological toxicity are three key properties related to the practical application of anatase photocatalyst in water cleaning, but seem to be incompatible. Nanoparticles-constructed hierarchical anatase microspheres with high crystallinity and good dispersion prepared in this study via one-step solution processing at 90 degrees C under atmospheric pressure by using ammonium fluotitanate as the titanium source and urea as the precipitant can reconcile these three requirements. The hierarchical microspheres were found to grow via an aggregative mechanism, and contact recrystallization occurred at high additions of the FeCl(3) electrolyte into the reaction system. Simultaneous incorporation of fluorine and iron into the TiO(2) matrix was confirmed by combined analysis of X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Surface structure and morphology changes of the microspheres induced by high-temperature annealing were clearly observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, especially for the phase-transformed particles. The original nanoparticles-constructed rough surfaces partially became smooth, resulting in a sharp drop in photocatalytic efficiency. Interestingly, iron loading has detrimental effects on the visible-light photocatalytic activity of both the as-prepared and the postannealed anatase microspheres but greatly enhances the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared anatase microspheres under UV irradiation. No matter under UV or visible-light irradiation, the fluorine-loaded anatase microspheres and especially the postannealed ones show excellent photocatalytic performance. The underlying mechanism of fluorine and iron loading on the photocatalytic efficacy of the anatase microspheres was discussed in detail. Beyond photocatalytic applications, this kind of material is of great importance to the assembling of

In-can melting demonstration of wastes from the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjorklund, W.J.; Chick, L.A.; Hollis, H.H.; Mellinger, G.B.; Nelson, T.A.; Petkus, L.L.

1980-07-01

The immobilization of Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) zirconia calcine using Idaho glass composition (ICPP-127) was evaluated at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in two engineering-scale in-can melter tests. The glass was initially characterized in the laboratory to verify processing parameters. Glass was then produced in a pilot-scale melter and then in a full-scale melter to evaluate the processing and the resultant product. Potential corrosion problems were identified with the glass and some processing problems were encountered, but neither is insurmountable. The product is a durable leach-resistant glass. The glass appears to be nonhomogeneous, but chemically it is quite uniform

Discovering hierarchical structure in normal relational data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Mikkel Nørgaard; Herlau, Tue; Mørup, Morten

2014-01-01

-parametric generative model for hierarchical clustering of similarity based on multifurcating Gibbs fragmentation trees. This allows us to infer and display the posterior distribution of hierarchical structures that comply with the data. We demonstrate the utility of our method on synthetic data and data of functional...

40 CFR 63.443 - Standards for the pulping system at kraft, soda, and semi-chemical processes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Paper Industry § 63.443 Standards for the pulping system at kraft, soda, and semi-chemical processes. (a... operator of each pulping system using a semi-chemical or soda process subject to the requirements of this... kraft, soda, and semi-chemical processes. 63.443 Section 63.443 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL...

A systems engineering approach to manage the complexity in sustainable chemical product-process design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gani, Rafiqul

This paper provides a perspective on model-data based solution approaches for chemical product-process design, which consists of finding the identity of the candidate chemical product, designing the process that can sustainably manufacture it and verifying the performance of the product during...... application. The chemical product tree is potentially very large and a wide range of options exist for selecting the product to make, the raw material to use as well as the processing route to employ. It is shown that systematic computer-aided methods and tools integrated within a model-data based design...

Hierarchical mesoporous graphene@Ni-Co-S arrays on nickel foam for high-performance supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Van Hoa; Lamiel, Charmaine; Shim, Jae-Jin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hierarchical mesoporous graphene@Ni-Co-S arays have been decorated on Ni foam. • The electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 9.2 F cm −1 at 100 mA cm −1 . • The electrode presents large electroactive surface area and excellent structural stability. - Abstract: Hierarchical mesoporous graphene and ternary nickel cobalt sulfide (Ni-Co-S) arrays on nickel foam were designed and fabricated by chemical vapor deposition and electrodeposition for supercapacitor applications. The electrodes exhibited rapid electron and ion transport, large electroactive surface area, and excellent structural stability owing to the highly conductive, mesoporous nature of graphene and the Ni-Co-S nanosheets, as well as to the open framework of the three-dimensional nanoarchitectures. The specific capacitance of the obtained electrode was as high as 9.2 F cm −1 at a high current density of 100 mA cm −1 , indicating promising applications as an efficient electrode for electrochemical capacitors

Hierarchical representation of shapes in visual cortex-from localized features to figural shape segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tschechne, Stephan; Neumann, Heiko

2014-01-01

Visual structures in the environment are segmented into image regions and those combined to a representation of surfaces and prototypical objects. Such a perceptual organization is performed by complex neural mechanisms in the visual cortex of primates. Multiple mutually connected areas in the ventral cortical pathway receive visual input and extract local form features that are subsequently grouped into increasingly complex, more meaningful image elements. Such a distributed network of processing must be capable to make accessible highly articulated changes in shape boundary as well as very subtle curvature changes that contribute to the perception of an object. We propose a recurrent computational network architecture that utilizes hierarchical distributed representations of shape features to encode surface and object boundary over different scales of resolution. Our model makes use of neural mechanisms that model the processing capabilities of early and intermediate stages in visual cortex, namely areas V1-V4 and IT. We suggest that multiple specialized component representations interact by feedforward hierarchical processing that is combined with feedback signals driven by representations generated at higher stages. Based on this, global configurational as well as local information is made available to distinguish changes in the object's contour. Once the outline of a shape has been established, contextual contour configurations are used to assign border ownership directions and thus achieve segregation of figure and ground. The model, thus, proposes how separate mechanisms contribute to distributed hierarchical cortical shape representation and combine with processes of figure-ground segregation. Our model is probed with a selection of stimuli to illustrate processing results at different processing stages. We especially highlight how modulatory feedback connections contribute to the processing of visual input at various stages in the processing hierarchy.

Road Network Selection Based on Road Hierarchical Structure Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HE Haiwei

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A new road network selection method based on hierarchical structure is studied. Firstly, road network is built as strokes which are then classified into hierarchical collections according to the criteria of betweenness centrality value (BC value. Secondly, the hierarchical structure of the strokes is enhanced using structural characteristic identification technique. Thirdly, the importance calculation model was established according to the relationships among the hierarchical structure of the strokes. Finally, the importance values of strokes are got supported with the model's hierarchical calculation, and with which the road network is selected. Tests are done to verify the advantage of this method by comparing it with other common stroke-oriented methods using three kinds of typical road network data. Comparision of the results show that this method had few need to semantic data, and could eliminate the negative influence of edge strokes caused by the criteria of BC value well. So, it is better to maintain the global hierarchical structure of road network, and suitable to meet with the selection of various kinds of road network at the same time.

Hierarchically Structured Electrospun Fibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicole E. Zander

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Traditional electrospun nanofibers have a myriad of applications ranging from scaffolds for tissue engineering to components of biosensors and energy harvesting devices. The generally smooth one-dimensional structure of the fibers has stood as a limitation to several interesting novel applications. Control of fiber diameter, porosity and collector geometry will be briefly discussed, as will more traditional methods for controlling fiber morphology and fiber mat architecture. The remainder of the review will focus on new techniques to prepare hierarchically structured fibers. Fibers with hierarchical primary structures—including helical, buckled, and beads-on-a-string fibers, as well as fibers with secondary structures, such as nanopores, nanopillars, nanorods, and internally structured fibers and their applications—will be discussed. These new materials with helical/buckled morphology are expected to possess unique optical and mechanical properties with possible applications for negative refractive index materials, highly stretchable/high-tensile-strength materials, and components in microelectromechanical devices. Core-shell type fibers enable a much wider variety of materials to be electrospun and are expected to be widely applied in the sensing, drug delivery/controlled release fields, and in the encapsulation of live cells for biological applications. Materials with a hierarchical secondary structure are expected to provide new superhydrophobic and self-cleaning materials.

Hierarchical control of electron-transfer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westerhoff, Hans V.; Jensen, Peter Ruhdal; Egger, Louis

1997-01-01

In this chapter the role of electron transfer in determining the behaviour of the ATP synthesising enzyme in E. coli is analysed. It is concluded that the latter enzyme lacks control because of special properties of the electron transfer components. These properties range from absence of a strong...... back pressure by the protonmotive force on the rate of electron transfer to hierarchical regulation of the expression of the gens that encode the electron transfer proteins as a response to changes in the bioenergetic properties of the cell.The discussion uses Hierarchical Control Analysis...

Supercritical Fluids Processing of Biomass to Chemicals and Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olson, Norman K. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2011-09-28

The main objective of this project is to develop and/or enhance cost-effective methodologies for converting biomass into a wide variety of chemicals, fuels, and products using supercritical fluids. Supercritical fluids will be used both to perform reactions of biomass to chemicals and products as well as to perform extractions/separations of bio-based chemicals from non-homogeneous mixtures. This work supports the Biomass Program’s Thermochemical Platform Goals. Supercritical fluids are a thermochemical approach to processing biomass that, while aligned with the Biomass Program’s interests in gasification and pyrolysis, offer the potential for more precise and controllable reactions. Indeed, the literature with respect to the use of water as a supercritical fluid frequently refers to “supercritical water gasification” or “supercritical water pyrolysis.”

A top-down approach for fabricating free-standing bio-carbon supercapacitor electrodes with a hierarchical structure

OpenAIRE

Yingzhi Li; Qinghua Zhang; Junxian Zhang; Lei Jin; Xin Zhao; Ting Xu

2015-01-01

Biomass has delicate hierarchical structures, which inspired us to develop a cost-effective route to prepare electrode materials with rational nanostructures for use in high-performance storage devices. Here, we demonstrate a novel top-down approach for fabricating bio-carbon materials with stable structures and excellent diffusion pathways; this approach is based on carbonization with controlled chemical activation. The developed free-standing bio-carbon electrode exhibits a high specific ca...

Chemical Assessment of White Wine during Fermentation Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodora Coldea

2014-05-01

Full Text Available There were investigated chemical properties of indigenous white wine varieties (Fetească albă, Fetească regală and Galbenă de Odobeşti during fermentation. The white wine making process took place at Wine Pilot Station of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. We aimed to monitorize the evolution of fermentation process parameters (temperature, alcohol content, and real extract and the quality of the bottled white wine (total acidity, alcohol content, total sulfur dioxide, total dry extract. The results obtained were in accordance to Romanian Legislation.

A process for treatment of mixed waste containing chemical plating wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anast, K.R.; Dziewinski, J.; Lussiez, G.

1995-01-01

The Waste Treatment and Minimization Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory has designed and will be constructing a transportable treatment system to treat low-level radioactive mixed waste generated during plating operations. The chemical and plating waste treatment system is composed of two modules with six submodules, which can be trucked to user sites to treat a wide variety of aqueous waste solutions. The process is designed to remove the hazardous components from the waste stream, generating chemically benign, disposable liquids and solids with low level radioactivity. The chemical and plating waste treatment system is designed as a multifunctional process capable of treating several different types of wastes. At this time, the unit has been the designated treatment process for these wastes: Destruction of free cyanide and metal-cyanide complexes from spent plating solutions; destruction of ammonia in solution from spent plating solutions; reduction of Cr VI to Cr III from spent plating solutions, precipitation, solids separation, and immobilization; heavy metal precipitation from spent plating solutions, solids separation, and immobilization, and acid or base neutralization from unspecified solutions

Hierarchical NiO-SiO2 composite hollow microspheres with enhanced adsorption affinity towards Congo red in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Chunsheng; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Zhu, Bicheng; Yu, Jiaguo; Ho, Wingkei

2016-03-15

Hollow microspheres and hierarchical porous nanostructured materials with desired morphologies have gained remarkable attention for their potential applications in environmental technology. In this study, NiO-SiO2 hollow microspheres were prepared by co-precipitation with SiO2 and nickel salt as precursors, followed by dipping in alkaline solution and calcination. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The synthesized hollow spheres were composed of a SiO2 shell and hierarchical porous NiO nanosheets on the surface. Adsorption experiments suggested that NiO-SiO2 composite particles were powerful adsorbents for removal of Congo red from water, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 204.1 mg/g. The high specific surface areas, hollow structures, and hierarchical porous surfaces of the hollow composite particles are suitable for various applications, including adsorption of pollutants, chemical separation, and water purification. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hierarchical representation of shapes in visual cortex - from localized features to figural shape segregation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephan eTschechne

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Visual structures in the environment are effortlessly segmented into image regions and those combined to a representation of surfaces and prototypical objects. Such a perceptual organization is performed by complex neural mechanisms in the visual cortex of primates. Multiple mutually connected areas in the ventral cortical pathway receive visual input and extract local form features that are subsequently grouped into increasingly complex, more meaningful image elements. At this stage, highly articulated changes in shape boundary as well as very subtle curvature changes contribute to the perception of an object.We propose a recurrent computational network architecture that utilizes a hierarchical distributed representation of shape features to encode boundary features over different scales of resolution. Our model makes use of neural mechanisms that model the processing capabilities of early and intermediate stages in visual cortex, namely areas V1-V4 and IT. We suggest that multiple specialized component representations interact by feedforward hierarchical processing that is combined with feedback from representations generated at higher stages. In so doing, global configurational as well as local information is available to distinguish changes in the object's contour. Once the outline of a shape has been established, contextual contour configurations are used to assign border ownership directions and thus achieve segregation of figure and ground. This combines separate findings about the generation of cortical shape representation using hierarchical representations with figure-ground segregation mechanisms.Our model is probed with a selection of artificial and real world images to illustrate processing results at different processing stages. We especially highlight how modulatory feedback connections contribute to the processing of visual input at various stages in the processing hierarchy.

Multi-objective hierarchical genetic algorithms for multilevel redundancy allocation optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Ranjan [Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)], E-mail: ranjan.k@ks3.ecs.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Izui, Kazuhiro [Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)], E-mail: izui@prec.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Yoshimura, Masataka [Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)], E-mail: yoshimura@prec.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Nishiwaki, Shinji [Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)], E-mail: shinji@prec.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2009-04-15

Multilevel redundancy allocation optimization problems (MRAOPs) occur frequently when attempting to maximize the system reliability of a hierarchical system, and almost all complex engineering systems are hierarchical. Despite their practical significance, limited research has been done concerning the solving of simple MRAOPs. These problems are not only NP hard but also involve hierarchical design variables. Genetic algorithms (GAs) have been applied in solving MRAOPs, since they are computationally efficient in solving such problems, unlike exact methods, but their applications has been confined to single-objective formulation of MRAOPs. This paper proposes a multi-objective formulation of MRAOPs and a methodology for solving such problems. In this methodology, a hierarchical GA framework for multi-objective optimization is proposed by introducing hierarchical genotype encoding for design variables. In addition, we implement the proposed approach by integrating the hierarchical genotype encoding scheme with two popular multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGAs)-the strength Pareto evolutionary genetic algorithm (SPEA2) and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). In the provided numerical examples, the proposed multi-objective hierarchical approach is applied to solve two hierarchical MRAOPs, a 4- and a 3-level problems. The proposed method is compared with a single-objective optimization method that uses a hierarchical genetic algorithm (HGA), also applied to solve the 3- and 4-level problems. The results show that a multi-objective hierarchical GA (MOHGA) that includes elitism and mechanism for diversity preserving performed better than a single-objective GA that only uses elitism, when solving large-scale MRAOPs. Additionally, the experimental results show that the proposed method with NSGA-II outperformed the proposed method with SPEA2 in finding useful Pareto optimal solution sets.

Multi-objective hierarchical genetic algorithms for multilevel redundancy allocation optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Ranjan; Izui, Kazuhiro; Yoshimura, Masataka; Nishiwaki, Shinji

2009-01-01

Multilevel redundancy allocation optimization problems (MRAOPs) occur frequently when attempting to maximize the system reliability of a hierarchical system, and almost all complex engineering systems are hierarchical. Despite their practical significance, limited research has been done concerning the solving of simple MRAOPs. These problems are not only NP hard but also involve hierarchical design variables. Genetic algorithms (GAs) have been applied in solving MRAOPs, since they are computationally efficient in solving such problems, unlike exact methods, but their applications has been confined to single-objective formulation of MRAOPs. This paper proposes a multi-objective formulation of MRAOPs and a methodology for solving such problems. In this methodology, a hierarchical GA framework for multi-objective optimization is proposed by introducing hierarchical genotype encoding for design variables. In addition, we implement the proposed approach by integrating the hierarchical genotype encoding scheme with two popular multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGAs)-the strength Pareto evolutionary genetic algorithm (SPEA2) and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). In the provided numerical examples, the proposed multi-objective hierarchical approach is applied to solve two hierarchical MRAOPs, a 4- and a 3-level problems. The proposed method is compared with a single-objective optimization method that uses a hierarchical genetic algorithm (HGA), also applied to solve the 3- and 4-level problems. The results show that a multi-objective hierarchical GA (MOHGA) that includes elitism and mechanism for diversity preserving performed better than a single-objective GA that only uses elitism, when solving large-scale MRAOPs. Additionally, the experimental results show that the proposed method with NSGA-II outperformed the proposed method with SPEA2 in finding useful Pareto optimal solution sets

Hierarchical Neural Regression Models for Customer Churn Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Golshan Mohammadi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available As customers are the main assets of each industry, customer churn prediction is becoming a major task for companies to remain in competition with competitors. In the literature, the better applicability and efficiency of hierarchical data mining techniques has been reported. This paper considers three hierarchical models by combining four different data mining techniques for churn prediction, which are backpropagation artificial neural networks (ANN, self-organizing maps (SOM, alpha-cut fuzzy c-means (α-FCM, and Cox proportional hazards regression model. The hierarchical models are ANN + ANN + Cox, SOM + ANN + Cox, and α-FCM + ANN + Cox. In particular, the first component of the models aims to cluster data in two churner and nonchurner groups and also filter out unrepresentative data or outliers. Then, the clustered data as the outputs are used to assign customers to churner and nonchurner groups by the second technique. Finally, the correctly classified data are used to create Cox proportional hazards model. To evaluate the performance of the hierarchical models, an Iranian mobile dataset is considered. The experimental results show that the hierarchical models outperform the single Cox regression baseline model in terms of prediction accuracy, Types I and II errors, RMSE, and MAD metrics. In addition, the α-FCM + ANN + Cox model significantly performs better than the two other hierarchical models.

WebVis: a hierarchical web homepage visualizer

Science.gov (United States)

Renteria, Jose C.; Lodha, Suresh K.

2000-02-01

WebVis, the Hierarchical Web Home Page Visualizer, is a tool for managing home web pages. The user can access this tool via the WWW and obtain a hierarchical visualization of one's home web pages. WebVis is a real time interactive tool that supports many different queries on the statistics of internal files such as sizes, age, and type. In addition, statistics on embedded information such as VRML files, Java applets, images and sound files can be extracted and queried. Results of these queries are visualized using color, shape and size of different nodes of the hierarchy. The visualization assists the user in a variety of task, such as quickly finding outdated information or locate large files. WebVIs is one solution to the growing web space maintenance problem. Implementation of WebVis is realized with Perl and Java. Perl pattern matching and file handling routines are used to collect and process web space linkage information and web document information. Java utilizes the collected information to produce visualization of the web space. Java also provides WebVis with real time interactivity, while running off the WWW. Some WebVis examples of home web page visualization are presented.

UV-assisted capillary force lithography for engineering biomimetic multiscale hierarchical structures: From lotus leaf to gecko foot hairs

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Hoon Eui; Kwak, Rhokyun; Khademhosseini, Ali; Suh, Kahp Y.

2009-01-01

This feature article provides an overview of the recently developed two-step UV-assisted capillary force lithography and its application to fabricating well-defined micro/nanoscale hierarchical structures. This method utilizes an oxygen inhibition effect in the course of UV irradiation curing and a two-step moulding process, to form multiscale hierarchical or suspended nanobridge structures in a rapid and reproducible manner. After a brief description of the fabrication principles, several examples of the two-step UV-assisted moulding technique are presented. In addition, emerging applications of the multiscale hierarchical structures are briefly described. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2009.

Hierarchical Traces for Reduced NSM Memory Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Dahl, Torbjørn S.

This paper presents work on using hierarchical long term memory to reduce the memory requirements of nearest sequence memory (NSM) learning, a previously published, instance-based reinforcement learning algorithm. A hierarchical memory representation reduces the memory requirements by allowing traces to share common sub-sequences. We present moderated mechanisms for estimating discounted future rewards and for dealing with hidden state using hierarchical memory. We also present an experimental analysis of how the sub-sequence length affects the memory compression achieved and show that the reduced memory requirements do not effect the speed of learning. Finally, we analyse and discuss the persistence of the sub-sequences independent of specific trace instances.

Nitrogen-enriched hierarchically porous carbons prepared from polybenzoxazine for high-performance supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Liu; Wang, Jianlong; Xie, Lijing; Sun, Yahui; Li, Kaixi

2014-09-10

Nitrogen-enriched hierarchically porous carbons (HPCs) were synthesized from a novel nitrile-functionalized benzoxazine based on benzoxazine chemistry using a soft-templating method and a potassium hydroxide (KOH) chemical activation method and used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The textural and chemical properties could be easily tuned by adding a soft template and changing the activation temperature. The introduction of the soft-templating agent (surfactant F127) resulted in the formation of mesopores, which facilitated fast ionic diffusion and reduced the internal resistance. The micropores of HPCs were extensively developed by KOH activation to provide large electrochemical double-layer capacitance. As the activation temperature increased from 600 to 800 °C, the specific surface area of nitrogen-enriched carbons increased dramatically, micropores were enlarged, and more meso/macropores were developed, but the nitrogen and oxygen content decreased, which affected the electrochemical performance. The sample HPC-800 activated at 800 °C possesses a high specific surface area (1555.4 m(2) g(-1)), high oxygen (10.61 wt %) and nitrogen (3.64 wt %) contents, a hierarchical pore structure, a high graphitization degree, and good electrical conductivity. It shows great pseudocapacitance and the largest specific capacitance of 641.6 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) in a 6 mol L(-1) KOH aqueous electrolyte when measured in a three-electrode system. Furthermore, the HPC-800 electrode exhibits excellent rate capability (443.0 F g(-1) remained at 40 A g(-1)) and good cycling stability (94.3% capacitance retention over 5000 cycles).

Accounting for uncertainty in ecological analysis: the strengths and limitations of hierarchical statistical modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Cressie, Noel; Calder, Catherine A; Clark, James S; Ver Hoef, Jay M; Wikle, Christopher K

2009-04-01

Analyses of ecological data should account for the uncertainty in the process(es) that generated the data. However, accounting for these uncertainties is a difficult task, since ecology is known for its complexity. Measurement and/or process errors are often the only sources of uncertainty modeled when addressing complex ecological problems, yet analyses should also account for uncertainty in sampling design, in model specification, in parameters governing the specified model, and in initial and boundary conditions. Only then can we be confident in the scientific inferences and forecasts made from an analysis. Probability and statistics provide a framework that accounts for multiple sources of uncertainty. Given the complexities of ecological studies, the hierarchical statistical model is an invaluable tool. This approach is not new in ecology, and there are many examples (both Bayesian and non-Bayesian) in the literature illustrating the benefits of this approach. In this article, we provide a baseline for concepts, notation, and methods, from which discussion on hierarchical statistical modeling in ecology can proceed. We have also planted some seeds for discussion and tried to show where the practical difficulties lie. Our thesis is that hierarchical statistical modeling is a powerful way of approaching ecological analysis in the presence of inevitable but quantifiable uncertainties, even if practical issues sometimes require pragmatic compromises.

Dynamic Processes of Conceptual Change: Analysis of Constructing Mental Models of Chemical Equilibrium.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Mei-Hung; Chou, Chin-Cheng; Liu, Chia-Ju

2002-01-01

Investigates students' mental models of chemical equilibrium using dynamic science assessments. Reports that students at various levels have misconceptions about chemical equilibrium. Involves 10th grade students (n=30) in the study doing a series of hands-on chemical experiments. Focuses on the process of constructing mental models, dynamic…

Hierarchical subtask discovery with non-negative matrix factorization

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Earle, AC

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Hierarchical reinforcement learning methods offer a powerful means of planning flexible behavior in complicated domains. However, learning an appropriate hierarchical decomposition of a domain into subtasks remains a substantial challenge. We...

Hierarchical subtask discovery with non-negative matrix factorization

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Earle, AC

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Hierarchical reinforcement learning methods offer a powerful means of planning flexible behavior in complicated domains. However, learning an appropriate hierarchical decomposition of a domain into subtasks remains a substantial challenge. We...

Band-gap analysis of a novel lattice with a hierarchical periodicity using the spectral element method

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zhijing; Li, Fengming; Zhang, Chuanzeng

2018-05-01

Inspired by the hierarchical structures of butterfly wing surfaces, a new kind of lattice structures with a two-order hierarchical periodicity is proposed and designed, and the band-gap properties are investigated by the spectral element method (SEM). The equations of motion of the whole structure are established considering the macro and micro periodicities of the system. The efficiency of the SEM is exploited in the modeling process and validated by comparing the results with that of the finite element method (FEM). Based on the highly accurate results in the frequency domain, the dynamic behaviors of the proposed two-order hierarchical structures are analyzed. An original and interesting finding is the existence of the distinct macro and micro stop-bands in the given frequency domain. The mechanisms for these two types of band-gaps are also explored. Finally, the relations between the hierarchical periodicities and the different types of the stop-bands are investigated by analyzing the parametrical influences.

Statistical Significance for Hierarchical Clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Kimes, Patrick K.; Liu, Yufeng; Hayes, D. Neil; Marron, J. S.

2017-01-01

Summary Cluster analysis has proved to be an invaluable tool for the exploratory and unsupervised analysis of high dimensional datasets. Among methods for clustering, hierarchical approaches have enjoyed substantial popularity in genomics and other fields for their ability to simultaneously uncover multiple layers of clustering structure. A critical and challenging question in cluster analysis is whether the identified clusters represent important underlying structure or are artifacts of natural sampling variation. Few approaches have been proposed for addressing this problem in the context of hierarchical clustering, for which the problem is further complicated by the natural tree structure of the partition, and the multiplicity of tests required to parse the layers of nested clusters. In this paper, we propose a Monte Carlo based approach for testing statistical significance in hierarchical clustering which addresses these issues. The approach is implemented as a sequential testing procedure guaranteeing control of the family-wise error rate. Theoretical justification is provided for our approach, and its power to detect true clustering structure is illustrated through several simulation studies and applications to two cancer gene expression datasets. PMID:28099990

Hierarchical cluster analysis and chemical characterisation of Myrtus communis L. essential oil from Yemen region and its antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-colorectal adenocarcinoma properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Anwar, Sirajudheen; Crouch, Rebecca A; Awadh Ali, Nasser A; Al-Fatimi, Mohamed A; Setzer, William N; Wessjohann, Ludger

2017-09-01

The hydrodistilled essential oil obtained from the dried leaves of Myrtus communis, collected in Yemen, was analysed by GC-MS. Forty-one compounds were identified, representing 96.3% of the total oil. The major constituents of essential oil were oxygenated monoterpenoids (87.1%), linalool (29.1%), 1,8-cineole (18.4%), α-terpineol (10.8%), geraniol (7.3%) and linalyl acetate (7.4%). The essential oil was assessed for its antimicrobial activity using a disc diffusion assay and resulted in moderate to potent antibacterial and antifungal activities targeting mainly Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. The oil moderately reduced the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (IC 50  = 4.2 μL/mL or 4.1 mg/mL). In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation against HT29 (human colonic adenocarcinoma cells) showed that the essential oil exhibited a moderate antitumor effect with IC 50 of 110 ± 4 μg/mL. Hierarchical cluster analysis of M. communis has been carried out based on the chemical compositions of 99 samples reported in the literature, including Yemeni sample.

A comparison of two different processing chemicals for mammography: Repercussion on dose to patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sendra-Portero, F.; Ristori-Bogajo, E.; Buch-Tome, P.; Martinez-Morillo, M.; Nava-Baro, E.

2001-01-01

The main technical objective of screen-film mammography is to reach the best image quality with the lowest dose to the breast. Sensitometric gradient and speed are factors related to both subjects respectively. For a given choice of film, these factors are affected by processing variables. For this reason, manufacturers have developed different types of films that are recommended for particular processing conditions. The purpose of this work is to compare the variations of both sensitometric characteristics of mammographic screen and film systems induced by two different manufactured chemicals: RPX-Omat EX/LO (Kodak) and G139/G334 (Agfa). A comparison of thirteen mammographic films by means of light sensitometry was performed at different processing conditions: 90s/Kodak, 120s/Kodak, 180s/Kodak, 90s/Agfa, 120s/Agfa and 180s/Agfa. Secondly, 99 combinations of screens and films were evaluated by X-ray sensitometry at 120s/Kodak and 120s/Agfa processing. At light sensitometry, variations in processing time led to different modifications in film speed, depending on the chemicals used. At X-Ray sensitometry, Agfa chemicals induced higher values of sensitivity for almost all combinations, while Kodak chemicals gave higher gradient/speed quotient. The results show that dose to patients in mammography and image contrast are highly dependent on the chemicals selected at medium cycle (120s) processing. (author)

One-step synthesis of SnCo nanoconfined in hierarchical carbon nanostructures for lithium ion battery anode.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Jian; Liu, Dongye; Zhang, Xiang; Zhao, Naiqin; Shi, Chunsheng; Liu, En-Zuo; He, Fang; Ma, Liying; Li, Qunying; Li, Jiajun; He, Chunnian

2017-10-26

A new strategy for the one-step synthesis of a 0D SnCo nanoparticles-1D carbon nanotubes-3D hollow carbon submicrocube cluster (denoted as SnCo@CNT-3DC) hierarchical nanostructured material was developed via a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process with the assistance of a water-soluble salt (NaCl). The adopted NaCl not only acted as a cubic template for inducing the formation of the 3D hollow carbon submicrocube cluster but also provides a substrate for the SnCo catalysts impregnation and CNT growth, ultimately leading to the successful construction of the unique 0D-1D-3D structured SnCo@CNT-3DC during the CVD of C 2 H 2 . When utilized as a lithium-ion battery anode, the SnCo@CNT-3DC composite electrode demonstrated an excellent rate performance and cycling stability for Li-ion storage. Specifically, an impressive reversible capacity of 826 mA h g -1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g -1 and a high rate capacity of 278 mA h g -1 even after 1000 cycles at 5 A g -1 were achieved. This remarkable electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the unique hierarchical nanostructure of SnCo@CNT-3DC, which guarantees a deep permeation of electrolytes and a shortened lithium salt diffusion pathway in the solid phase as well as numerous hyperchannels for electron transfer.

Mechanochemistry-assisted synthesis of hierarchical porous carbons applied as supercapacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Desirée Leistenschneider

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A solvent-free synthesis of hierarchical porous carbons is conducted by a facile and fast mechanochemical reaction in a ball mill. By means of a mechanochemical ball-milling approach, we obtained titanium(IV citrate-based polymers, which have been processed via high temperature chlorine treatment to hierarchical porous carbons with a high specific surface area of up to 1814 m2 g−1 and well-defined pore structures. The carbons are applied as electrode materials in electric double-layer capacitors showing high specific capacitances with 98 F g−1 in organic and 138 F g−1 in an ionic liquid electrolyte as well as good rate capabilities, maintaining 87% of the initial capacitance with 1 M TEA-BF4 in acetonitrile (ACN and 81% at 10 A g−1 in EMIM-BF4.

A new hierarchical method to find community structure in networks

Science.gov (United States)

Saoud, Bilal; Moussaoui, Abdelouahab

2018-04-01

Community structure is very important to understand a network which represents a context. Many community detection methods have been proposed like hierarchical methods. In our study, we propose a new hierarchical method for community detection in networks based on genetic algorithm. In this method we use genetic algorithm to split a network into two networks which maximize the modularity. Each new network represents a cluster (community). Then we repeat the splitting process until we get one node at each cluster. We use the modularity function to measure the strength of the community structure found by our method, which gives us an objective metric for choosing the number of communities into which a network should be divided. We demonstrate that our method are highly effective at discovering community structure in both computer-generated and real-world network data.

Coarse grain model for coupled thermo-mechano-chemical processes and its application to pressure-induced endothermic chemical reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antillon, Edwin; Banlusan, Kiettipong; Strachan, Alejandro

2014-01-01

We extend a thermally accurate model for coarse grain dynamics (Strachan and Holian 2005 Phys. Rev. Lett. 94 014301) to enable the description of stress-induced chemical reactions in the degrees of freedom internal to the mesoparticles. Similar to the breathing sphere model, we introduce an additional variable that describes the internal state of the particles and whose dynamics is governed both by an internal potential energy function and by interparticle forces. The equations of motion of these new variables are derived from a Hamiltonian and the model exhibits two desired features: total energy conservation and Galilean invariance. We use a simple model material with pairwise interactions between particles and study pressure-induced chemical reactions induced by hydrostatic and uniaxial compression. These examples demonstrate the ability of the model to capture non-trivial processes including the interplay between mechanical, thermal and chemical processes of interest in many applications. (paper)

Slaughterhouse wastewater treatment by combined chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Bazrafshan, Edris; Kord Mostafapour, Ferdos; Farzadkia, Mehdi; Ownagh, Kamal Aldin; Mahvi, Amir Hossein

2012-01-01

Slaughterhouse wastewater contains various and high amounts of organic matter (e.g., proteins, blood, fat and lard). In order to produce an effluent suitable for stream discharge, chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation techniques have been particularly explored at the laboratory pilot scale for organic compounds removal from slaughterhouse effluent. The purpose of this work was to investigate the feasibility of treating cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater by combined chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation process to achieve the required standards. The influence of the operating variables such as coagulant dose, electrical potential and reaction time on the removal efficiencies of major pollutants was determined. The rate of removal of pollutants linearly increased with increasing doses of PACl and applied voltage. COD and BOD(5) removal of more than 99% was obtained by adding 100 mg/L PACl and applied voltage 40 V. The experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of chemical and electrochemical techniques for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewaters. Consequently, combined processes are inferred to be superior to electrocoagulation alone for the removal of both organic and inorganic compounds from cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater.

Slaughterhouse Wastewater Treatment by Combined Chemical Coagulation and Electrocoagulation Process

Science.gov (United States)

Bazrafshan, Edris; Kord Mostafapour, Ferdos; Farzadkia, Mehdi; Ownagh, Kamal Aldin; Mahvi, Amir Hossein

2012-01-01

Slaughterhouse wastewater contains various and high amounts of organic matter (e.g., proteins, blood, fat and lard). In order to produce an effluent suitable for stream discharge, chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation techniques have been particularly explored at the laboratory pilot scale for organic compounds removal from slaughterhouse effluent. The purpose of this work was to investigate the feasibility of treating cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater by combined chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation process to achieve the required standards. The influence of the operating variables such as coagulant dose, electrical potential and reaction time on the removal efficiencies of major pollutants was determined. The rate of removal of pollutants linearly increased with increasing doses of PACl and applied voltage. COD and BOD5 removal of more than 99% was obtained by adding 100 mg/L PACl and applied voltage 40 V. The experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of chemical and electrochemical techniques for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewaters. Consequently, combined processes are inferred to be superior to electrocoagulation alone for the removal of both organic and inorganic compounds from cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater. PMID:22768233

Improved ADM1 model for anaerobic digestion process considering physico-chemical reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yang; Piccard, Sarah; Zhou, Wen

2015-11-01

The "Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1" (ADM1) was modified in the study by improving the bio-chemical framework and integrating a more detailed physico-chemical framework. Inorganic carbon and nitrogen balance terms were introduced to resolve the discrepancies in the original bio-chemical framework between the carbon and nitrogen contents in the degraders and substrates. More inorganic components and solids precipitation processes were included in the physico-chemical framework of ADM1. The modified ADM1 was validated with the experimental data and used to investigate the effects of calcium ions, magnesium ions, inorganic phosphorus and inorganic nitrogen on anaerobic digestion in batch reactor. It was found that the entire anaerobic digestion process might exist an optimal initial concentration of inorganic nitrogen for methane gas production in the presence of calcium ions, magnesium ions and inorganic phosphorus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigations on an environment friendly chemical reaction process (eco-chemistry). 2; Kankyo ni yasashii kagaku hanno process (eko chemistry) ni kansuru chosa. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

In order to structure a chemical reaction process that does not discharge a large amount of waste by-products or harmful chemical substances, or so-called environment friendly process, investigations and discussions were given based on the results derived in the previous fiscal year. A proposal was made to reduce environmental load on development of oxidized and dehydrogenated catalysts that can produce selectively ethylene, propylene and isobutylene in an oxidation process. In liquid phase oxidation, redox-based oxidation and solid catalyzation of automatic oxidation reaction were enumerated. In acid base catalyst reaction, development of ultra strong solid acid was described to structure no pollution discharging process. In the fine chemical and pharmaceutical fields, the optical active substance method and the position-selective aromatics displacement reaction were evaluated to reduce environmental load. A questionnaire survey performed on major chemical corporations inside and outside the country revealed the following processes as the ones that can cause hidden environmental problems: processes discharging large amount of wastes, processes treating dangerous materials, and processes consuming large amount of energy. Development of catalysts is important that can realize high yield, high selectivity and reactions under mild conditions as a future environment harmonizing chemical process. 117 refs., 23 figs., 22 tabs.

Scalable 2D Hierarchical Porous Carbon Nanosheets for Flexible Supercapacitors with Ultrahigh Energy Density.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Lei; Wu, Qin; Zhang, Peixin; Zhang, Junmin; Wang, Dongrui; Li, Yongliang; Ren, Xiangzhong; Mi, Hongwei; Deng, Libo; Zheng, Zijian

2018-03-01

2D carbon nanomaterials such as graphene and its derivatives, have gained tremendous research interests in energy storage because of their high capacitance and chemical stability. However, scalable synthesis of ultrathin carbon nanosheets with well-defined pore architectures remains a great challenge. Herein, the first synthesis of 2D hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets (2D-HPCs) with rich nitrogen dopants is reported, which is prepared with high scalability through a rapid polymerization of a nitrogen-containing thermoset and a subsequent one-step pyrolysis and activation into 2D porous nanosheets. 2D-HPCs, which are typically 1.5 nm thick and 1-3 µm wide, show a high surface area (2406 m 2 g -1 ) and with hierarchical micro-, meso-, and macropores. This 2D and hierarchical porous structure leads to robust flexibility and good energy-storage capability, being 139 Wh kg -1 for a symmetric supercapacitor. Flexible supercapacitor devices fabricated by these 2D-HPCs also present an ultrahigh volumetric energy density of 8.4 mWh cm -3 at a power density of 24.9 mW cm -3 , which is retained at 80% even when the power density is increased by 20-fold. The devices show very high electrochemical life (96% retention after 10000 charge/discharge cycles) and excellent mechanical flexibility. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hierarchically Nanoporous Bioactive Glasses for High Efficiency Immobilization of Enzymes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, W.; Min, D.D.; Zhang, X.D.

2014-01-01

Bioactive glasses with hierarchical nanoporosity and structures have been heavily involved in immobilization of enzymes. Because of meticulous design and ingenious hierarchical nanostructuration of porosities from yeast cell biotemplates, hierarchically nanostructured porous bioactive glasses can...... and products of catalytic reactions can freely diffuse through open mesopores (2–40 nm). The formation mechanism of hierarchically structured porous bioactive glasses, the immobilization mechanism of enzyme and the catalysis mechanism of immobilized enzyme are then discussed. The novel nanostructure...