Boosting kinetic separation of ethylene and ethane on microporous materials via crystal size control

The adsorptive separation of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6),as an alternative to distillation units consuming high energy,is a promising yet challenging research.The great similarity in the molecular size of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6)brings challenges to the regulation of adsorbents to realize efficient dynamic separation.Herein,we reported the enhancement of the kinetic separation of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)by controlling the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4)(Atz=3-amino-1,2,4-triazole)to amplify the diffusion difference of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6).Through adjusting the synthesis temperature,reactant concentration,and ligands/metal ions molar ratio,ZnAtzPO4 crystals with different sizes were obtained.Both single-component kinetic adsorption tests and binary-component dynamic breakthrough experiments confirmed the enhancement of the dynamic separation of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)with the increase in the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4).The separation selectivity of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)increased from 1.3 to 98.5 with the increase in the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4).This work demonstrated the role of morphology and size control of adsorbent crystals in the improvement of the C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)kinetic separation performance.

Size control and its mechanism of SnAg nanoparticles

Sn3.5Ag （mass fraction, %） nanoparticles were synthesized by an improved chemical reduction method at room temperature. 1,10-phenanthroline and sodium borohydride were selected as the surfactant and reducing agent, respectively. It was found that no obvious oxidation of the synthesized nanoparticles was traced by X-ray diffraction. In addition, the results show that the density of primary particles decreases with decreasing the addition rate of the reducing agent. Moreover, the slight particle agglomeration and slow secondary particle growth can result in small-sized nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the effect of surfactant concentration on the particle size can effectively be controlled when the reducing agent is added into the precursor at an appropriate rate. In summary, the capping effect caused by the surfactant molecules coordinating with the nanoclusters will restrict the growth of the nanoparticles. The larger the mass ratio of the surfactant to the precursor is, the smaller the particle size is.

Grain Size Control of Semisolid A356 Alloy Manufactured by Electromagnetic Stirring

To investigate the possibility of substituting the mechanical stirring system with electromagnetic stirring (EMS) system for aluminum rheo die-casting, the EMS under the different stirring cooling conditions was carried out. It was found that in the early period of solidification, the dendrite breakages led to a fine primary phase. When dendrites grew coarsely, the effect of ripening on grain size overwhelmed that of dendrite breakage. It was also found that the high cooling rate favored large nucleation rate, and led to a fine primary phase. But high cooling rate also made the growth rate of the dendrite arm, which prevented the dendrite arm from being sheared off. Therefore there were a suitable stirring time and suitable cooling rate to obtain the best rheo die-casting structure. Qualified semisolid A356 aluminum alloy was successfully manufactured with short time EMS.

Fuzzy Mathematics for Raw Silk Size Control

With photographing and experiments, this paper divides the cocoon layers into three categories according to their colors, establishes three-color membership function based on fuzzy mathematics, constructs fuzzy sets which satisfy the range of size control by using the ordinary set and attached frequency of threecolor cocoons combination, then achieves the ordinary sets of range of size control by choosing λ-cut. Under these ordinary sets, each end does duality relative level, then sets up relative matrix and overall sequence and finds the membership function to judge whether the size control is mormal.

Optimized Runge-Kutta Methods with Automatic Step Size Control for Compressible Computational Fluid Dynamics

We develop error-control based time integration algorithms for compressible fluid dynam-ics(CFD)applications and show that they are efficient and robust in both the accuracy-limited and stability-limited regime.Focusing on discontinuous spectral element semidis-cretizations,we design new controllers for existing methods and for some new embedded Runge-Kutta pairs.We demonstrate the importance of choosing adequate controller parameters and provide a means to obtain these in practice.We compare a wide range of error-control-based methods,along with the common approach in which step size con-trol is based on the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy(CFL)number.The optimized methods give improved performance and naturally adopt a step size close to the maximum stable CFL number at loose tolerances,while additionally providing control of the temporal error at tighter tolerances.The numerical examples include challenging industrial CFD applications.

OPTIMUM DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF THE SIZE CONTROL SYSTEM OF AUTOMATIC REELING MACHINE

This paper sets up a mathematical model of size variation to derive theobjective function, and constructs the constrained conditions In accordance withtheories of the raw silk production process and probability. On the above basis,the optimal feasible solutions to the parameters of different types of size controlsystem are searched out.

Grain size control in quasi-two-dimensional perovskite thin film via intermediate phase engineering for efficient bound exciton generation

Quasi-two dimensional(2D)perovskites have emerged as a promising class of materials due to their remarkable photoluminescence efficiency,which stems from their exceptionally high exciton binding energies.The spatial confinement of excitons within smaller grain sizes could enhance the formation of biexcitons leading to higher radiative recombination efficiency.However,the synthesis of high-quality quasi-2D perovskite thin films with controllable grain sizes remains a challenging task.In this study,we present a facile method for achieving quasi-2D perovskite thin films with controllable grain sizes ranging from 500 to 900 nm.This is accomplished by intermediate phase engineering during the film fabrication process.Our results demonstrate that quasi-2D perovskite films with smaller grain sizes exhibit more efficient bound exciton generation and a reduced stimulated emission threshold down to 15.89µJ cm^(−2).Furthermore,femtosecond transient absorption measurements reveal that the decay time of bound excitons is shorter in quasi-2D perovskites with smaller grain sizes compared to that of those with larger grains at the same pump density,which is 230.5 ps.This observation suggests a more efficient exciton recombination process in the smaller grain size regime.Our findings would offer a promising approach for the development of efficient bound exciton lasers.

Contract Mechanism of Water Environment Regulation for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Based on Optimal Control Theory

The small and scattered enterprise pattern in the county economy has formed numerous sporadic pollution sources, hindering the centralized treatment of the water environment, increasing the cost and difficulty of treatment. How enterprises can make reasonable decisions on their water environment behavior based on the external environment and their own factors is of great significance for scientifically and effectively designing water environment regulation mechanisms. Based on optimal control theory, this study investigates the design of contractual mechanisms for water environmental regulation for small and medium-sized enterprises. The enterprise is regarded as an independent economic entity that can adopt optimal control strategies to maximize its own interests. Based on the participation of multiple subjects including the government, enterprises, and the public, an optimal control strategy model for enterprises under contractual water environmental regulation is constructed using optimal control theory, and a method for calculating the amount of unit pollutant penalties is derived. The water pollutant treatment cost data of a paper company is selected to conduct empirical numerical analysis on the model. The results show that the increase in the probability of government regulation and public participation, as well as the decrease in local government protection for enterprises, can achieve the same regulatory effect while reducing the number of administrative penalties per unit. Finally, the implementation process of contractual water environmental regulation for small and medium-sized enterprises is designed.

Size Controlling Preparation, Adsorption and Catalytic Properties of Silica Microspheres

The size-controlled silica microspheres were prepared by a facile method and the growth mechanism was simply studied. The as-prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission elec- tron microscopy. The CO2 adsorption behaviors and methane catalytic oxidation were also measured. The results show that the as-prepared silica is perfect sphere, and the particle size can be controlled by adding tartaric acid. Spherical silica and sphere/tube（rod）-shaped silica were obtained by adjusting reaction time. Silica microspheres with uniform size exhibit high capacity of CO2 adsorption, while others with wide size-distribution exhibit excellent catalytic performance, suggesting it is an effective method by regulating size to utilize its advantages selectively. Therefore, it will be an ideal strategy to develop the efficient multifunctional materials by a facile route.

Size control of SBA-15 by tuning the stirring speed for the formation of CMK-3 with distinct adsorption performance

Controlling the size of SBA-15 can be beneficial for exploiting CMK-3, which has excellent structural parameters, for better performance in adsorption and/or catalytic processes. In this study, the width of freestanding SBA-15 rods was readily and successfully regulated by simply altering the stirring power during the synthesis. A higher stirring rate produced SBA-15 rods with larger width. Then, the size of the CMK-3 rods was adjusted by duplication of the different- sized SBA-15. The results show that the larger sized CMK-3 has higher specific surface area and pore volume, which led to a higher adsorption capacity and a faster adsorption rate. It is believed that the synthetic method reported here is powerful for developing better mesoporous carbon for application in water purification and catalysis.

Preparation and UV property of size-controlled monodisperse nickel nanoparticles (<10 nm) by reductive method

Nickel nanoparticles （〈10 nm） were success fully synthesized using a reductive method of nickel chloride with sodium borohydride in the ethanol/poly vinylpyrrolidone （PVP） system. The effects of three fac tors, such as the concentration of the nickel ions, the time of reaction, and the amount of PVP （surfactant）, were discussed. The possible growth process of the particles and optimum reactive conditions was also investigated. The result of transmission electron microscopy （TEM） reveals that these nickel nanoparticles are spherical. The average diameter could be controlled as 25 nm under selected conditions. Highresolution TEM and energydispersive spectroscopy results indicates that the nickel nanoparticles are pure. The UVvisible light absorption spectrum shows that the peaks of nickel nanoparticles moves toward the short wavelength along with the decrease of sizes.

Control of Crystal Size and Morphology of Calcium Carbonate Crystal Polymorphism

Calcium carbonate, the main component of lime, has been widely used in industry due to its stability and economy. Calcium carbonate has three types of crystalline polymorphism, calcite, aragonite and vaterite, each with different properties. Therefore, the control of crystal polymorphism is required for industrial applications. In addition, the control of crystal size and shape is similarly required for different applications. In this study, the effect of SrCO3 on the size control of fine aragonite-type calcium carbonate crystals by uniform urea precipitation and the effect of SrCO3 addition was investigated by adding solid strontium carbonate and dissolved strontium carbonate. The addition of solid strontium carbonate affected the crystal polymorphism and size of the calcium carbonate produced, depending on the properties of the solid particles and the amount of SrCO3 added. Experiments on the addition of dissolved SrCO3 showed that the supersaturation formation rate could be controlled to control the crystal polymorphism.

Balanced biosynthesis and trigger threshold resulting in a double adder mechanism of cell size control

How cells accomplish cell size homeostasis is a fascinating topic, and several cell size regulation mechanisms were proposed: timer, sizer, and adder. Recently the adder model has received a great deal of attention. Adder property was also found in the DNA replication cycle. This paper aims to explain the adder phenomenon both in the division-centric picture and replication-centric picture at the molecular level. We established a self-replication model, and the system reached a steady state quickly based on evolution rules. We collected tens of thousands of cells in the same trajectory and calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient between biological variables to decide which regulatory mechanism was adopted by cells. Our simulation results confirmed the double-adder mechanism. Chromosome replication initiation and cell division control are independent and regulated by respective proteins.Cell size homeostasis originates from division control and has nothing to do with replication initiation control. At a slow growth rate, the deviation from adder toward sizer comes from a significant division protein degradation rate when division protein is auto-inhibited. Our results indicated the two necessary conditions in the double-adder mechanism: one is balanced biosynthesis, and the other is that there is a protein trigger threshold to inspire DNA replication initiation and cell division. Our results give insight to the regulatory mechanism of cell size and instructive to synthetic biology.

An Organic Solvent-Assisted Intercalation and Collection (OAIC) for Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene with Controllable Sizes and Improved Yield

A good method of synthesizing Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)(MXene)is critical for ensuring its success in practical applications,e.g.,electromagnetic interference shielding,electrochemical energy storage,catalysis,sensors,and biomedicine.The main concerns focus on the moderation of the approach,yield,and product quality.Herein,a modified approach,organic solvent-assisted intercalation and collection,was developed to prepare Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) flakes.The new approach simultaneously solves all the concerns,featuring a low requirement for facility(centrifugation speed<4000 rpm in whole process),gram-level preparation with remarkable yield(46.3%),a good electrical conductivity(8672 S cm^(−1)),an outstanding capacitive performance(352 F g^(−1)),and easy control over the dimension of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) flakes(0.47–4.60μm^(2)).This approach not only gives a superb example for the synthesis of other MXene materials in laboratory,but sheds new light for the future mass production of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene.

Preparation of graphene oxides with different sheet sizes by temperature control

The sheet size of a graphene oxide （GO） can greatly influence its electrical, optical, mechanical, electrochemical and catalytic property. It is a key challenge to how to control the sheet size during its preparation in different application fields. According to our previous theoretical calculations of the effect of temperature on the oxidation process of graphene, we use Hummers method to prepare GOs with different sheet sizes by simply controlling the temperature condition in the process of the oxidation reaction of potassium permanganate （KMnO4） with graphene and the dilution process with deionized water. The results detected by transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and atomic force microscopy （AFM） show that the average sizes of GO sheets prepared at different temperatures are about 1 μm and 7 μm respectively. The ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy （UV-vis） shows that lower temperature can lead to smaller oxidation degrees of GO and less oxygen functional groups on the surface. In addition, we prepare GO membranes to test their mechanical strengths by ultrasonic waves, and we find that the strengths of the GO membranes prepared under low temperatures are considerably higher than those prepared under high temperatures, showing the high mechanical strengths of larger GO sheets. Our experimental results testify our previous theoretical calculations. Compared with the traditional centrifugal separation and chemical cutting method, the preparation process of GO by temperature control is simple and low-cost and also enables large-size synthesis. These findings develop a new method to control GO sheet sizes for large-scale potential applications.

Micromagnetic studies of perpendicular recording FePt media with controllable grain size distributions

A 3-dimensional(3D)micromagnetic model combined with Fast Fourier Transform(FFT)method was built up to study the writability in the L1_(0)FePt perpendicular medium.The effects of controllable grain size distributions were studied by grain growth simulation.It is found that the cross-track-averaged magnetization changes little between the L1_(0)FePt medium with uniform or non-uniform grain size distribution.

Size Distributions of Aerosol Sulfates and Nitrates in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games： Impacts of Pollution Control Measures and Regional Transport

For the 2008 Olympic Games, drastic control measures were implemented on industrial and urban emissions of sulfur dioxide （SO2）, nitrogen oxides （NOx） and other pollutants to address the issues of poor air quality in Beijing. To investigate the effects of SO2 and NOx reductions on the particulate sulfate and nitrate concentrations as well as their size distributions, size-segregated aerosol samples were collected using micro-orifice uniform deposit impactors （MOUDIs） at urban and downwind rural sites in Beijing before and after full-scale controls. During the sampling period, the mass concentrations of fine particles （PMI.s） at the urban and rural sites were 94.0 and 85.9 p.g m-3, respectively. More than 90% of the sulfates and 60% of nitrates formed as fine particles. Benefiting from the advantageous meteorological conditions and the source controls, sulfates were observed in rather low concentrations and primarily in condensation mode during the Olympics. The effects of the control measures were separately analyzed for the northerly and the southerly air-mass-dominated days to account for any bias. After the control measures were implemented, PM, sulfates, and nitrates were significantly reduced when the northerly air masses prevailed, with a higher percentage of reduction in larger particles. The droplet mode particles, which dominated the sulfates and nitrates before the controls were implemented, were remarkably reduced in mass concentration after the control measures were implemented. Nevertheless, when the polluted southerly air masses prevailed, the local source control measures in Beijing did not effectively reduce the ambient sulfate concentration due to the enormous regional contribution from the North China Plain.

A new size and shape controlling method for producing calcium alginate beads with immobilized proteins

A method for producing size- and shape-con-trolled calcium alginate beads with immobilized proteins was developed. Unlike previous cal-cium alginate bead production methods, pro-tein-immobilized alginate beads with uniform shape and sizes less then 20 micrometers in diameter could successfully be produced by using sonic vibration. BSA and FITC-conjugated anti-BSA antibodies were used to confirm pro-tein immobilization in the alginate beads. Pro-tein diffusion from the beads could be reduced to less than 10% by cross-linking the proteins to the alginate with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino-propyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysul-fosuccinimide (NHSS). The calcium alginate beads could also be arranged freely on a slide glass by using a femtosecond laser.

Analysis of the Effect of Subgroup Size on the X-Bar Control Chart Using Forensic Science Laboratory Sample Influx Data

This paper analyzes the effect of subgroup size on the x-bar chart characteristics using sample influx (SIF) into forensic science laboratory (FSL). The characteristics studied include changes in out-or-control points (OCP), upper control limit UCLx, and zonal demarcations. Multi-rules were used to identify the number of out-of-control-points, Nocp as violations using five control chart rules applied separately. A sensitivity analysis on the Nocp was applied for subgroup size, k, and number of sigma above the mean value to determine the upper control limit, UCLx. A computer code was implemented using a FORTRAN code to create x-bar control-charts and capture OCP and other control-chart characteristics with increasing k from 2 to 25. For each value of k, a complete series of average values, Q(p), of specific length, Nsg, was created from which statistical analysis was conducted and compared to the original SIF data, S(t). The variation of number of out-of-control points or violations, Nocp, for different control-charts rules with increasing k was determined to follow a decaying exponential function, Nocp = Ae–α, for which, the goodness of fit was established, and the R2 value approached unity for Rule #4 and #5 only. The goodness of fit was established to be the new criteria for rational subgroup-size range, for Rules #5 and #4 only, which involve a count of 6 consecutive points decreasing and 8 consecutive points above the selected control limit (σ/3 above the grand mean), respectively. Using this criterion, the rational subgroup range was established to be 4 ≤ k ≤ 20 for the two x-bar control chart rules.

Phase and size control of NH_3 clusters generated in supersonic jet expansions

Because of their interesting properties and potential applications, nanometer-size parti-cles have attracted scientists’attention during the past decade. Various methods forsynthesizing the nanometer-size materials, including consolidation from vapor, ma-trix-mediated synthesis, ball-milling, magnetic sputtering, electrochemical techniques, and ar-rested precipitation reactions in solutions, have been reported. Every method has its ad-vantages and limitations and new approaches are desirable. Since Becker and hiscoworkers first reported H2,Ar and N2 cluster beams formed from free jet expansions,