A method for establishing a bearing residual life prediction model for process enhancement equipment based on rotor imbalance response analysis

A rotating packed bed is a typical chemical process enhancement equipment that can strengthen micromixing and mass transfer.During the operation of the rotating packed bed,the nonreactants and products irregularly adhere to the wire mesh packing in the rotor,thus resulting in an imbalance in the vibration of the rotor,which may cause serious damage to the bearing and material leakage.This study proposes a model prediction for estimating the bearing residual life of a rotating packed bed based on rotor imbalance response analysis.This method is used to determine the influence of the mass on the imbalance in the vibration of the rotor on bearing damage.The major influence on rotor vibration was found to be exerted by the imbalanced mass and its distribution radius,as revealed by the results of orthogonal experiments.Through implementing finite element analysis,the imbalance response curve for the rotating packed bed rotor was obtained,and a correlation among rotor imbalance mass,distribution radius of imbalance mass,and bearing residue life was established via data fitting.The predicted value of the bearing life can be used as the reference basis for an early safety warning of a rotating packed bed to effectively avoid accidents.

Improvement of Artificial Foldable Wing Models by Mimicking the Unfolding/Folding Mechanism of a Beetle Hind Wing

In an attempt to realize a flapping wing micro-air vehicle with morphing wings, we report on improvements to our previousfoldable artificial hind wing.Multiple hinges, which were implemented to mimic the bending zone of a beetle hind wing, weremade of small composite hinge plates and tiny aluminum rivets.The buck-tails of rivets were flared after the hinge plates wereassembled with the rivets so that the folding/unfolding motions could be completed in less time, and the straight shape of theartificial hind wing could be maintained after fabrication.Folding and unfolding actions were triggered by electrically-activatedShape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires.For wing folding, the actuation characteristics of the SMA wire actuator were modifiedthrough heat treatment.Through a series of flapping tests, we confirmed that the artificial wings did not fold back and arbitrarilyfluctuate during the flapping motion.

Four Novel Hydropyranoindeno-Derivatives from Marine Fungus Aspergillus versicolor

From the cultured filtrates of fungus Aspergillus versicolor, isolated from marine sponge Xestospongia exigua, four novel secondary metabolites, namely aspergillone 1, aspergillodiol 2, aspergillol 3 and 12-acetyl-aspergillol 4, have been isolated by column chromatographic separation. The structures of all the new compounds are established on the basis of extensive 2D NMR spectroscopy in conjugation with MS, UV spectral analysis. The basic structure pattern of those compounds possessed an hydroindenoisopyran nucleus.

Mitochondria as therapeutic targets for cancer stem cells

Cancer stem cells(CSCs) are maintained by theirsomatic stem cells and are responsible for tumor initiation, chemoresistance, and metastasis. Evidence for the CSCs existence has been reported for a number of human cancers. The CSC mitochondria have been shown recently to be an important target for cancer treatment, but clinical significance of CSCs and their mitochondria properties remain unclear. Mitochondriatargeted agents are considerably more effective compared to other agents in triggering apoptosis of CSCs, as well as general cancer cells, via mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial metabolism is altered in cancer cells because of their reliance on glycolytic intermediates, which are normally destined for oxidative phosphorylation. Therefore, inhibiting cancer-specific modifications in mitochondrial metabolism, increasing reactive oxygen species production, or stimulating mitochondrial permeabilization transition could be promising new therapeutic strategies to activate cell death in CSCs as well, as in general cancer cells. This review analyzed mitochondrial function and its potential as a therapeutic target to induce cell death in CSCs. Furthermore, combined treatment with mitochondriatargeted drugs will be a promising strategy for the treatment of relapsed and refractory cancer.

The Role of Elytra in Beetle Flight: Ⅰ.Generation of Quasi-Static Aerodynamic Forces

We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics and force generation of the elytra of abeetle,Allomyrina dichotoma.Our analysis included wind tunnel experiments and three-dimensional computational fluiddynamics simulations using ANSYS-CFX software.Our first approach was a quasi-static study that considered the effect ofinduced flapping flow due to the flapping motion of the fore-wings (elytra) at a frequency of around 30 Hz to 40 Hz.The dihedralangle was varied to represent flapping motion during the upstroke and downstroke.We found that an elytron producespositive lift at 0° geometric angle of attack,negative lift during the upstroke,and always produces drag during both the upstrokeand downstroke.We also found that the lift coefficient of an elytron does not drop even at a very high geometric angle of attack.For a beetle with a body weight of 5 g,based on the quasi-static method,the fore-wings (elytra) can produce lift of less than 1%of its body weight.

Spectral and Energy Efficiency of Downlink MU-MIMO Systems with MRT

This paper studies the achievable spectral efficiency(SE)of downlink multiuser multiple-input-multiple-output(MIMO)system,where the base station(BS)is deployed an arbitrary finite antenna number and communicates simultaneously with many users. We assume that the BS has accurate channel state information(CSI)and adopt maximum ratio transmission(MRT)precoding. An accurate analytical result for the achievable SE is obtained. Based on the analytical result on the achievable SE,we further study the achievable energy efficiency(EE)of multiuser MIMO system by considering an energy consumption model. Results indicate that the increasing number of BS antennas can boost the achievable SE of system,whilst the achievable SE tends to a saturated rate in the high signal-tonoise ratios(SNR)regime. Furthermore,an important conclusion is that the increasing number of users is beneficial for the achievable EE and there is an optimal antenna number to maximize the EE of system.

Sensing of Moisture Content of In-Shell Peanuts by NIR Reflectance Spectroscopy

It was found earlier that moisture content (MC) of intact kernels of grain and nuts could be determined by Near Infra Red (NIR) reflectance spectrometry. However, if the MC values can be determined while the nuts are in their shells, it would save lot of labor and money spent in shelling and cleaning the nuts. Grain and nuts absorb low levels of NIR, and when NIR radiation is incident on them, a substantial portion of the radiation is reflected back. Thus, studying the NIR reflectance spectra emanating from in-shell peanuts, an attempt is made for the first time to determine the MC of in-shell peanuts. In-shell peanuts of two different market types, Virginia and Valencia, were conditioned to different moisture levels between 6% and 26% (wet basis), and separated into calibration and validation groups. NIR absorption spectral data from 1000 nm to 2500 nm in 1 nm intervals were collected from both groups. Measurements were obtained on 30 replicates within each moisture level. Reference MC values for each moisture level in these groups were obtained using standard air-oven method. Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis was performed on the calibration data, and prediction models were developed. The Standard Error of Calibration (SEC), and R2 of the calibration models were computed to select the best calibration model. The selected models were used to predict the moisture content of peanuts in the validation sets. Predicted MC values of the validation samples were compared with their standard air-oven moisture values. Goodness of fit was determined based on the lowest Standard Error of Prediction (SEP) and highest R2 value obtained for the prediction models. The model, with reflectance plus normalization spectral data with an SEP of 0.74 for Valencia and 1.57 for Virginia type in-shell peanuts was selected as the best model. The corresponding R2 values were 0.98 for both peanut types. This work establishes the possibility of sensing MC of intact in-shell peanuts by NIR reflectance method, and would be useful for the peanut and allied industries.

Peanuts and Their Nutritional Aspects—A Review

Peanut is a legume crop that belongs to the family of Fabaceae, genus Arachis, and botanically named as Arachis hypogaea. Peanuts are consumed in many forms such as boiled peanuts, peanut oil, peanut butter, roasted peanuts, and added peanut meal in snack food, energy bars and candies. Peanuts are considered as a vital source of nutrients. Nutrition plays an important role in growth and energy gain of living organisms. Peanuts are rich in calories and contain many nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins that are essential for optimum health. All these biomolecules are essential for pumping vital nutrients into the human body for sustaining normal health. This paper presents an overview of the peanut composition in terms of the constituent biomolecules, and their biological functions. This paper also discusses about the relationship between consumption of peanuts and their effect on human metabolism and physiology. It highlights the usefulness of considering peanuts as an essential component in human diet considering its nutritional values.

Novel Chromone Derivatives from Marine Fungus Aspergillus versicolor Isolated from the Sponge Xestospongia exigua

From the marine sponge Xestospongia exigua, fungal isolates of Aspergillus versicolor (Vuill)Triab were obtained. Isolation and purification of ethyl acetate extracts from culture filtrates of the fungus led to yield six new chromone derivatives namely aspergione A, aspergione B, aspergione C, aspergione D. aspergione E, aspergione F. The structures of all the new compounds were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopy (UV, MS, H-1 and C-13 NMR, COSY, HMQC and HMBC) analysis.

Investigates on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Projectile with Triangular Cross Section

The aerodynamic characteristics of projectiles with triangular and circular cross sections are investigated respectively by use of free-flight experiment.Processed the experiment data,curves of flight velocity variation and nutation of both projectiles are obtained,based on the curves,their aerodynamic force and moment coefficients are found out by data fitting,and their aerodynamic performances are compared and analyzed.Results show that the projectile with triangular cross section has smaller resistance,higher lift-drag ratio,better static stability,higher stability capability and more excellent maneuverability than those of the projectile with circular cross section,therefore it can be used in the guided projectiles;under lower rotation speed,the triangular section projectile has greater Magnus moment leading to bigger projectile distribution.

Coupling Reaction of 4-Chloro-7-H-Pyrrolo[2,3-d]Pyrimidine with 2,3,5-Tri-O-Acetyl-b-D-Ribofuranosyl Chloride

Coupling reaction of 4-chloro-7-H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine with 2,3,5-tri-O-acetyl -β-D-ribofuranosyl chloride under the basic condition was investigated. An abnormal coupling reaction, in which the heterocyclic base attacked at the carbon of 1,2-O-methylidene moiety instead of anomeric carbon of ribose was observed and the structure of products 5a, 5b were identified by NMR and X-Ray diffraction.

Application of Earth Remote Sensing and GIS in Mapping Land Cover Patterns in Kinangop Division, Kenya

Land cover is a fundamental variable that links many facets of the natural environment and a key driver of global environmental change.Alterations in its status can have significant ramifications at local,regional and global levels.Hence,it is imperative to map land cover at a range of spatial and temporal scales with a view to understanding the inherent patterns for effective characterization,prediction and management of the potential environmental impacts.This paper presents the results of an effort to map land cover patterns in Kinangop division,Kenya,using geospatial tools.This is a geographic locality that has experienced rapid land use transformations since Kenya's independence culminating in uncontrolled land cover changes and loss of biodiversity.The changes in land use/cover constrain the natural resource base and presuppose availability of quantitative and spatially explicit land cover data for understanding the inherent patterns and facilitating specific and multi-purpose land use planning and management.As such,the study had two objectives viz.(i) mapping the spatial patterns of land cover in Kinangop using remote sensing and GIS and;(ii) evaluating the quality of the resultant land cover map.ASTER satellite imagery acquired in January 23,2007 was procured and field data gathered between September l0 and October 16,2007.The latter were used for training the maximum likelihood classifier and validating the resultant land cover map.The land cover classification yielded 5 classes,overall accuracy of 83.5%and kappa statistic of 0.79,which conforms to the acceptable standards of land cover mapping. This qualifies its application in environmental decision-making and manifests the utility of geospatial techniques in mapping land resources.

Application of NIR Reflectance Spectroscopy on Rapid Determination of Moisture Content of Wood Pellets

NIR spectroscopy was used to measure the moisture concentration of wood pellets. Pellets were conditioned to various moisture levels between 0.63% and 14.16% (wet basis) and the moisture concentration was verified using a standard oven method. Samples from various moisture levels were separated into two groups, as calibration and validation sets. NIR absorption spectral data from 400 nm to 2500 nm with 0.5 nm intervals were collected using pellets within the calibration and validation sample sets. Spectral wavelength ranges were taken as independent variables and the MC of the pellets as the dependent variable for the analysis. Measurements were obtained on 30 replicates within each moisture level. Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis was performed on both raw and preprocessed spectral data of calibration set to determine the best calibration model based on Standard Error of Calibration (SEC) and coefficient of multiple determinations (R2). The PLS model that yielded the best fit was used to predict the moisture concentration of validation group pellets. Relative Percent Deviation (RPD) and Standard Error of Prediction (SEP) were calculated to validate goodness of fit of the prediction model. Baseline and Multiple Scatter Corrected (MSC) reflectance spectra with 1st derivative model gave the highest RPD value of 4.46 and R2 of 0.95. Also it’s SEP (0.670) and RMSEP (0.782) were less than the other models those had RPD value more than 3.0 with less number of factors. Therefore, this model was selected as the best model for moisture content prediction of wood pellets.

An Improved Non-Parametric Method for Multiple Moving Objects Detection in the Markov Random Field

Detecting moving objects in the stationary background is an important problem in visual surveillance systems.However,the traditional background subtraction method fails when the background is not completely stationary and involves certain dynamic changes.In this paper,according to the basic steps of the background subtraction method,a novel non-parametric moving object detection method is proposed based on an improved ant colony algorithm by using the Markov random field.Concretely,the contributions are as follows:1)A new nonparametric strategy is utilized to model the background,based on an improved kernel density estimation;this approach uses an adaptive bandwidth,and the fused features combine the colours,gradients and positions.2)A Markov random field method based on this adaptive background model via the constraint of the spatial context is proposed to extract objects.3)The posterior function is maximized efficiently by using an improved ant colony system algorithm.Extensive experiments show that the proposed method demonstrates a better performance than many existing state-of-the-art methods.

Population structure and association mapping to detect QTL controlling tomato spotted wilt virus resistance in cultivated peanuts

Tomato spotted wilt(TSW)is a serious virus disease of peanut in the United States.Breeding for TSWV resistance would be facilitated by the implementation of marker-assisted selection in breeding programs;however,genes associated with resistance have not been identified.Association mapping is a type of genetic mapping that can exploit relationships between markers and traits in many lineages.The objectives of this study were to examine genetic diversity and population structure in the U.S.peanut mini-core collection using simple sequence repeat(SSR)markers,and to conduct association mapping between SSR markers and TSWV resistance in cultivated peanuts.One hundred and thirty-three SSR markers were used for genotyping 104 accessions.Four subpopulations,generally corresponding to botanical varieties,were classified by population structure analysis.Association mapping analysis indicated that five markers:pP GPseq5D5,GM1135,GM1991,TC23C08,and TC24C06,were consistently associated with TSW resistance by the Q,PCA,Q+K,and PCA+K models.These markers together explained 36.4%of the phenotypic variance.Moreover,pP GPseq5D5 and GM1991 were associated with both visual symptoms of TSWV and ELISA values with a high R^2.The potential of these markers for use in a marker-assisted selection program to breed peanut for resistance to TSWV is discussed.

Optimizing Nutrient Use Efficiency and Returns from Soybean Production under Smallholders in Three Agro-Ecologies of Malawi

Field trials were conducted to determine the economically optimum fertilizer rates for soybean production and for optimizing net profits in Dedza, Lilongwe and Salima Districts of Malawi. The effects of PK fertilizer rates on rain use efficiency (RUE), harvest index, agronomic use efficiency of phosphorous (AEP) and potassium (AEK), and value cost ratio (VCR) were evaluated. The applied diagnostic PK fertilizer rates significantly improved soybean grain yields, harvest index, rainwater use efficiency, AEP, AEK and returns to fertilizer use expressed as value cost ratio (VCR). However, the results differed significantly

Impact of Cyclone Nilam on Tropical Lower Atmospheric Dynamics

A deep depression formed over the Bay of Bengal on 28 October 2012, and developed into a cyclonic storm. After landfall near the south coast of Chennai, cyclone Nilam moved north-northwestwards. Coordinated experiments were conducted from the Indian stations of Gadanki（13.5？N, 79.2？E） and Hyderabad（17.4？N, 78.5？E） to study the modification of gravity-wave activity and turbulence by cyclone Nilam, using GPS radiosonde and mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere radar data. The horizontal velocities underwent large changes during the closest approach of the storm to the experimental sites. Hodograph analysis revealed that inertia gravity waves（IGWs） associated with the cyclone changed their directions from northeast（control time） to northwest following the path of the cyclone. The momentum flux of IGWs and short-period gravity waves（1–8 h） enhanced prior to, and during, the passage of the storm（±0.05 m2s-2and ±0.3 m2s-2, respectively）, compared to the flux after its passage. The corresponding body forces underwent similar changes, with values ranging between ±2–4m s-1d-1and ±12–15 m s-1d-1. The turbulence refractivity structure constant（C2n） showed large values below 10 km before the passage of the cyclone when humidity in the region was very high. Turbulence and humidity reduced during the passage of the storm when a turbulent layer at ～17 km became more intense. Turbulence in the lower troposphere and near the tropopause became weak after the passage of the cyclone.

A New Pseudo Sesquiterpenoid from the Seeds of Koelreuteria paniculata

From the seeds of medicinal plant Koelreuteria paniculata, a new pseudo sesquiter- penoid with novel skeleton namely paniculoid 1 was isolated. The structure of 1 was established on the basis of extensive 2D NMR spectroscopy in conjugation with MS and IR spectral analysis.

Stereoselective Synthesis of N^1-Lyxitol Inosine Derivative

1,4-anhydro-2-trifiyl-3,5-O-benzenylidene-L-xylitol (5) was constructed in six steps from protected D-xylose. Substitution of 5 with protected 8-bromoinosine 6 gave the key intermediate 5 ' -O-TBS-2 ' ,3 ' -di-O-acctyl-N-1-(2 ' -deoxy-1 ' ,4 ' -anhydro-3 ' ,5 ' -O-benzenylidene (14). Selective removal of 5 ' -O-TBS-group gave the corresponding though phosphorylation which was characterized by X-ray crystallographical analysis.

Accurate laser skin perforation technique aimed at promoting bleeding and reducing pain

Laser skin perforation is an effective and promising technique for use in blood collection.In this study,the relation between the perforation profile of skin and laser irradiation at various energies is discussed.Increasing laser energy does not uniformly expand the size and depth of a hole because the shallow depth of field(DOF)of the focused light primarily concentrates energy on the skin surface.In practice,the hole gradually transforms from a semielliptical shape to an upsidedown avocado shape as the laser energy increases.This phenomenon can increase the amount of bleeding and reduce pain.The findings support the feasibility of developing an accurate laser skin perforation method.