Development and applications of an on-line thermal neutron prompt-gamma element analysis system

This paper introduces the principles, instrumentation, implementation, and industrial applications of an on-line thermal neutron prompt-gamma element analysis system (using a²⁵²Cf neutron source, Am–Be neutron source, or neutron generator). The energy resolution of the system at the H prompt-gamma full-energy photopeak (2.22325 MeV) is 3.6 keV. The concentration measurement error of Al₂O₃, FeO₃, CaO, and SiO₂ is ±0.3%, ±0.1%, ±0.4%, and ±0.4%, respectively. The system has been tested on-site at both the Shandong and the Zhengzhou Aluminium Works. Our preliminary on-site measurements confirm that the stability, reliability, measurement range, and accuracy of the system can meet the requirements of the aluminium production process. Facilitation of this measurement at aluminium plants is expected to reduce plant costs by over 3 million dollars annually through reduced energy consumption, more rapid qualification of pulps being mixed during the production process, and in reduced labor costs.Other participants of Shandong and Zhenghou Aluminium Works are: Wang Aili, Zengshen, Dei Jianguo and Lu Jinnan, Wang Deyu, Jin Hequan.     

Diffusion via splitting and remeshing via merging in vortex methods

The technique of splitting a fat vortex element (with a core width larger than some threshold) into some thin ones in order to fix the convergence problem of the core‐spreading vortex methods is convenient and efficient. In particular, it keeps the method purely Lagrangian. In the present investigation, the splitting process is further viewed as part of the physical diffusion process. A new splitting method in which several weaker child vortices surround a thinned but still strong parent vortex is proposed. It is found that because of the survival of the parent vortex, the error arising from the splitting events can be largely reduced. The computational amount on the other hand is kept reasonably large by merging similar and close‐by vortices. The merging scheme designed herein not only involves fewer restrictions but also allows merging vortices of opposite rotations through the viewpoint of remeshing. The validity and accuracy of these techniques, proposed particularly for simulations undergoing lots of splitting and merging events, are verified by successfully simulating the interactions between two Burgers vortices under an external straining field. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Behaviors of the positive temperature coefficient of resistance of poly(styrene‐co‐n‐butylacrylate) filled with Ni‐plated core‐shell polymeric particles

Conductive composite films of poly(styrene‐co‐n‐butylacrylate) copolymers filled with low‐density, Ni‐plated core‐shell polymeric particles were prepared and their behaviors of positive temperature coefficient of resistance (PTCR) were investigated. When the conductive fillers in the composite film were loaded beyond the critical volume, 10 up to 25 vol %, composite films exhibited a unique electrical resistant transition behavior, which the electrical resistance rapidly increased by several orders of magnitude at the critical temperature. The PTCR transition temperature, in general, occurred before the glass transition temperature of polymer matrix. Further increased the conductive filler loading to 30 vol %, the overpacked conduction paths were formed in the entire composite and the PTCR effects became blurred. While the composite film treated with thermal cycle several times from room temperature up to 120 °C, the electrical resistivity increased accompanied with the shift of the PTCR transition to lower temperature. The reason might have been caused by the formed interfacial cracks within the composite film. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 322–329, 2007     

Isolation and Structure Elucidation of Nortriterpenoids from Schisandra rubriflora

Seven new highly oxygenated nortriterpenoids, rubriflorins D–J ( 1 – 7 ), were isolated from the leaves and stems of Schisandra rubriflora, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive analysis of spectroscopic data. These new compounds feature the opening of ring A compared with related known nortriterpenoids isolated from the genus Schisandra and showed weak activity against HIV‐1.     

The layered compound poly[μ2‐4,4′‐bipyridyl‐di‐μ2‐chlorido‐mercury(II)]

The title compound, [HgCl₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)]_n, features two‐dimensional [HgCl₂(4,4′‐bipy)]_n neutral networks (4,4′‐bipy is 4,4′‐bipyridine), based on an octahedral Hg atom coordinated by four μ₂‐Cl atoms and two μ₂‐4,4′‐bipy ligands in trans positions, yielding a HgCl₄N₂ octahedron. The structure has mmm symmetry about the Hg atoms, with most of the atoms on at least one mirror plane, but the unsubstituted C atoms of the 4,4′‐bipy rings are disordered across a mirror plane. Photoluminescent investigations reveal that the title compound displays a strong emission in the green region, which probably originates from a ligand‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer transition.     

Poly[[diaqua(N,N‐dimethylformamide‐κO)manganese(II)]‐μ3‐sulfato]

In the title complex, [Mn(SO₄)(C₃H₇NO)(H₂O)₂]_n, each Mn^II ion has a distorted octahedral geometry formed by three O atoms of three different sulfate groups, one O atom of a dimethylformamide ligand and two water molecules. The sulfate groups act as tridentate bridging ligands connecting the Mn^II ions into a two‐dimensional layer structure which can be regraded as a 4.8² network.