A Comparison of Expert System and Human Operator Performance for Cement Kiln Operation

Using an observational study of the operation of a cement kiln and a set of operational rules published by Peray and Waddell, five knowledge-based advisory systems have been developed encapsulating the supervisory expertise of the process operators. The advisory systems were developed in the logic language PROLOG. Each expert adviser was applied to a set of plant data previously logged from the kiln, and the advice offered was compared with the actions taken by the operators. Statistical tests have been applied to the outcome of the comparisons in order to determine which expert adviser emulated the operator performance most successfully. The results demonstrate the value of such tests in quantitatively validating expert systems. In addition, the supervisory techniques that the operators were using in practice were identified.     

A simple isothermal model for homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions in boundary-layer flow. I Equal diffusivities

A simple model for homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions in stagnation-point boundary-layer flow is constructed in which the homogeneous (bulk) reaction is assumed to be given by isothermal cubic autocatalator kinetics and the heterogeneous (surface) reaction by first order kinetics. The possible steady states of this system are analysed in detail in the case when the diffusion coefficients of both reactant and autocatalyst are equal. Hysteresis bifurcations leading to multiple solutions are found. The temporal stability of these steady states is then discussed.     

Zur Strömung viskoser Flüssigkeiten durch gewellte Rohre

Zusammenfassung Die Strömung zäher nicht-newtonscher Flüssigkeiten durch gewellte kreisförmige Rohre unter Wirkung eines axialen Druckgefälles wurde theoretisch und experimentell untersucht. Das besondere Interesse galt dabei der durch die Wellung veränderten Druck-Durchsatz-Charakteristik. Die theoretischen Betrachtungen beziehen sich auf den Grenzfall hinreichend langer Wellen, wo sich der Querschnitt des Flüssigkeitsfadens in Strömungsrichtung nur langsam ändert und sowohl die Trägheit als auch die Elastizität der Flüssigkeit eine untergeordnete Rolle spielen. In dieser Näherung konnte der Durchsatz in Abhängigkeit vom Druckgefälle und den nichtlinearen Fließeigenschaften der Flüssigkeit für beliebige Wellenamplituden analytisch bestimmt werden. Die theoretischen Ergebnisse sind in Einklang mit experimentellen Befunden.

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The flow of a non-Newtonian fluid driven by an axial pressure gradient through a corrugated pipe of circular cross-section is analysed theoretically and realized experimentally. Particular attention is directed toward the pressure-discharge characteristics of the pipe which change due to the corrugation. A theory is developed for the limiting case of corrugations with long wave-length, where the cross-section of the pipe varies gradually in the flow direction and the effects of inertia and elasticity of the fluid are of minor importance. Within such a long-wave approximation the flow rate, in dependence on the applied pressure drop and on the non-linear viscous properties of the fluid, is determined analytically for arbitrary wave amplitudes. The theoretical results are in agreement with experimental findings.

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Acid Catalyzed Efficient Syntheses of Aryl‐5H‐dibenzo[b,i]xanthene‐5,7,12,14‐(13H)‐tetraones and 3,3‐(Arylmethylene)bis(2‐hydroxynaphthalene‐1,4‐diones) and In Vitro Evaluation of their Antioxidant Activity

A simple and efficient synthesis of aryl‐5H‐dibenzo[b,i]xanthene‐5,7,12,14‐(13H)‐tetraones and 3,3‐(arylmethylene)bis(2‐hydroxynaphthalene‐1,4‐diones) by the condensation of aromatic aldehydes and 2‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinone under extremely mild conditions using catalytic amount of H₂SO₄ or in the presence of acidic ionic liquid 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate, which could be recycled, has been reported. The radical scavenging capacity of the synthesized compounds has been examined towards the stable free radical 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and the compounds 2 were found to scavenge DPPH free radical efficiently.     

Efficient complexation of pyrrole-bridged dizinc(II) bisporphyrin with fluorescent probe pyrene: synthesis, structure, and photoinduced singlet-singlet energy transfer

A diethylpyrrole‐bridged dizinc(II) bisporphyrin (Zn₂DEP) is reported that encapsulates fluorescent probe pyrene molecules through strong π–π interactions, which can relay information about the chemical environment in the interior of the host–guest supramolecular assembly. X‐ray structures of both Zn₂DEP and the encapsulated pyrene complex are reported, which provides a rare opportunity to investigate the structural changes upon guest binding. A comparative structural analysis demonstrated the exceptional ability of this bisporphyrin platform to open its binding pocket for pyrene encapsulation by a vertical displacement of more than 2.45 Å, although both Zn₂DEP and the pyrene complex have nearly parallel porphyrin ring orientations. The ¹H NMR spectrum of the encapsulated pyrene complex in solution shows the upfield shifts of the pyrene protons due to a strong ring current effect, which demonstrates the retention of the solid‐state structure in solution. To further assess the extent to which pyrene guests remain encapsulated in solution, a known fluorescence quencher, dimethylaniline, was added to the host–guest assembly, which shows no exciplex formation for days in nonpolar solvents. Thus, the assembly also retained the structural integrity in solution for a long time. The association constant (K_asso) for such a complexation process in solution was observed to be 1.78×10⁵ M ^?2 for 1:2 binding. Steady‐state fluorescence and lifetime studies indicate significant photoinduced singlet–singlet energy transformation from the excited state of pyrene to zinc bisporphyrin.     

Extending the range of neutral N-donor ligands available for metal catalysts: N-[1-alkylpyridin-4(1H)-ylidene]amides in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions

N-[1-Alkylpyridin-4(1H)-ylidene]amides (PYAs) are a new class of easily prepared, neutral N-donor ligands that share some features in common with N-heterocyclic carbenes. They are strongly electron-donating toward metal centers, and a palladium(II) complex of one of these ligands has been shown to successfully catalyze both the Heck-Mizoroki and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions.     

Thermal analyses of organic powders made from precipitation polymerization of triallyl monomers

Organic solids have been prepared from radical-initiated activation of solutions composed of tetradecane and triallyl trimesate (TAM) monomer or triallyl phosphate (TAP) monomer using a recently developed variation of precipitation polymerization methods. The powders, which comprise fused aggregates, are shown to be rich in monomer (83–88 wt% TAM or 86–92 wt% TAP), and are believed to be formed by a combination of hydrocarbon addition and allyl group oligomerization. TAM-g-tetradecane primary particles are on the order of 500 nm in diameter, while TAP-g-tetradecane particles are on the order of 100–200 nm diameter. These products are thermochemically assessed using a combination of differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry. The phosphorus-containing TAP-g-tetradecane shows exothermic activity around 230 °C, likely due to thermal decomposition of the trialkyl phosphate moiety, and may find use in advanced materials applications.     

Erbium in silicon–germanium quantum wells

Strained Si_1−xGe_x/Si quantum wells have been doped with erbium by implantation. A comparison is made with strained Si_1−xGe_x/Si quantum wells and relaxed Si_1−xGe_x, with x between 10% and 25%, doped with erbium during MBE growth. The erbium concentration was between 1×10¹⁸ and 5×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ throughout the active regions. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence studies indicate that good regrowth can been achieved after full amorphisation by implantation of the strained quantum wells. The erbium luminescence is more intense in the Si_1−xGe_x/Si layers, but erbium-implanted samples containing Si_1−xGe_x exhibit defect luminescence in the region of 0.9–1.0 eV. These defects are also present when Si_1−xGe_x/Si quantum wells are implanted with an amorphising dose of silicon, and then regrown. They are attributed to small germanium-rich platelets, rather than to erbium-related defects. Electroluminescence is presented from a forward biased erbium-implanted Si_0.87Ge_0.13/Si structure at a drive current density of only 1.8 mA/cm².     

Thermal conduction through loose and granular two-phase materials at normal pressure

The integrated theory derived for the lattice-type dispersions is modified and extended to estimate the effective thermal conductivity of loose and granular two-phase materials at normal pressure assuming an effective continuous media approximation. A comparison of calculated values ofλ _e with the reported experimental results over a wide range of loose and granular two-phase materials shows a good agreement.