Showing papers by "South China University of Technology published in 2006"
TL;DR: A review of polymer blends and composites from renewable resources can be found in this article, where the progress of blends from three kinds of polymers from renewable sources (i.e., natural polymers such as starch, protein and cellulose), synthetic polymers, such as polylactic acid and polyhydroxybutyrate, are described with an emphasis on potential applications.
1,931 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new plastic-damage constitutive model for concrete is proposed, where a tensile and a shear damage variable are adopted to describe the degradation of the macromechanical properties of concrete.
459 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a paraffin/expanded graphite composite phase change thermal energy storage material was prepared by absorbing the paraffIN into an expanded graphite that has an excellent absorbability.
448 citations
TL;DR: In this article, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) with hollow nanotubular structures were used as a new type filler for poly(propylene) (PP).
433 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an adaptive neural control of a completely non-affine pure-feedback system using RBF neural networks is presented by combining adaptive neural design with the backstepping method, input-to-state stability (ISS) analysis and the small-gain theorem.
406 citations
TL;DR: The presented deterministic learning mechanism and the neural learning control scheme provide elementary components toward the development of a biologically-plausible learning and control methodology.
Abstract: One of the amazing successes of biological systems is their ability to "learn by doing" and so adapt to their environment. In this paper, first, a deterministic learning mechanism is presented, by which an appropriately designed adaptive neural controller is capable of learning closed-loop system dynamics during tracking control to a periodic reference orbit. Among various neural network (NN) architectures, the localized radial basis function (RBF) network is employed. A property of persistence of excitation (PE) for RBF networks is established, and a partial PE condition of closed-loop signals, i.e., the PE condition of a regression subvector constructed out of the RBFs along a periodic state trajectory, is proven to be satisfied. Accurate NN approximation for closed-loop system dynamics is achieved in a local region along the periodic state trajectory, and a learning ability is implemented during a closed-loop feedback control process. Second, based on the deterministic learning mechanism, a neural learning control scheme is proposed which can effectively recall and reuse the learned knowledge to achieve closed-loop stability and improved control performance. The significance of this paper is that the presented deterministic learning mechanism and the neural learning control scheme provide elementary components toward the development of a biologically-plausible learning and control methodology. Simulation studies are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
366 citations
TL;DR: Clinical and pathological characterization of the human patients revealed the hallmarks of typical STSS, which to date had only been associated with GAS infection, and multiple lines of evidence confirmed that highly virulent strains of SS2 were the causative agents of both outbreaks.
Abstract: Background Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2, SS2) is a major zoonotic pathogen that causes only sporadic cases of meningitis and sepsis in humans. Most if not all cases of Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) that have been well-documented to date were associated with the nonSS2 group A streptococcus (GAS). However, a recent large-scale outbreak of SS2 in Sichuan Province, China, appeared to be caused by more invasive deep-tissue infection with STSS, characterized by acute high fever, vascular collapse, hypotension, shock, and multiple organ failure.
352 citations
TL;DR: An algorithm for estimating the mixing matrix that can be viewed as an extension of the DUET and the TIFROM methods is first developed and a necessary and sufficient condition for recoverability of a source vector is obtained.
Abstract: This paper discusses underdetermined (i.e., with more sources than sensors) blind source separation (BSS) using a two-stage sparse representation approach. The first challenging task of this approach is to estimate precisely the unknown mixing matrix. In this paper, an algorithm for estimating the mixing matrix that can be viewed as an extension of the DUET and the TIFROM methods is first developed. Standard clustering algorithms (e.g., K-means method) also can be used for estimating the mixing matrix if the sources are sufficiently sparse. Compared with the DUET, the TIFROM methods, and standard clustering algorithms, with the authors' proposed method, a broader class of problems can be solved, because the required key condition on sparsity of the sources can be considerably relaxed. The second task of the two-stage approach is to estimate the source matrix using a standard linear programming algorithm. Another main contribution of the work described in this paper is the development of a recoverability analysis. After extending the results in , a necessary and sufficient condition for recoverability of a source vector is obtained. Based on this condition and various types of source sparsity, several probability inequalities and probability estimates for the recoverability issue are established. Finally, simulation results that illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results are presented.
337 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, wheat straw was treated with acetic acid and formic acid at 85°C for 4h, in which 78.4% of the original lignin and 42.2% of hemicelluloses were released.
279 citations
TL;DR: Li et al. as mentioned in this paper fabricated a single-component white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) by using 1,3,5-tris(2-(9-ethylcarbazyl3)ethylene)benzene (TECEB) as the emitting species.
Abstract: It is therefore desirable to obtain white-light emission from a single-component material so as to avoid these drawbacks. In the past few years, studies in this field have attracted growing interest and encouraging progress has been made. Li et al. [9] fabricated a single-component white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) by using 1,3,5-tris(2-(9-ethylcarbazyl3)ethylene)benzene (TECEB) as the emitting species. The green- and red-light emission of the electroluminescence (EL) device from TECEB is produced by electric excitation. The EL device showed a luminance efficiency of 1.1 cdA –1 with Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.29, 0.31). Lee et al. [10] fabricated a single-component WPLED using an oxadiazole-containing, phenylene-vinylene ether-linkage copolymer, POPPPV3, as emitting species. The PLED made from annealed POPPPV3 had a luminance efficiency of 0.071 cdA –1 , and a maximum luminance of 60 cdm –2 with CIE coordinates of (0.30, 0.37). Furuta et al. [11]
278 citations
01 Oct 2006
TL;DR: An improved method which is called gradient-based structural similarity (GSSIM) is developed, which is more consistent with HVS than SSIM and PSNR especially for blurred images.
Abstract: Objective quality assessment has been widely used in image processing for decades and many researchers have been studying the objective quality assessment method based on human visual system (HVS). Recently the structural similarity (SSIM) is proposed, under the assumption that the HVS is highly adapted for extracting structural information from a scene, and simulation results have proved that it is better than PSNR (or MSE), By deeply studying the SSIM, we find it fails in measuring the badly blurred images. Based on this, we develop an improved method which is called gradient-based structural similarity (GSSIM). Experiment results show that GSSIM is more consistent with HVS than SSIM and PSNR especially for blurred images.
TL;DR: A new PtRuIr catalyst is reported, involving acetone as the solvent, ethylene glycol as the reducing agent, citrate as a complexing agent and stabilizer, and multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT, diameter 8-10 nm) as the support.
Abstract: We report the formation of a new PtRuIr catalyst using an organic colloid synthesis method, involving acetone as the solvent, ethylene glycol as the reducing agent, citrate as a complexing agent and stabilizer, and multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT, diameter 8−10 nm) as the support. This catalyst has a very high real surface area and is highly active toward the oxidation of methanol, relevant to fuel cell applications. The Ir component appears to act as a promoter, and the splitting of the Pt(111) XRD feature into four peaks and the shift to larger d spacing reflect the high dispersion of the metallic components.
TL;DR: HPI can be used as a valuable source of nutrition for infants and children but has poor functional properties when compared with SPI, mainly due to its high free sulfhydryl content from sulfur-containing amino acids.
Abstract: The amino acid composition and physicochemical and functional properties of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) protein isolate (HPI) were evaluated and compared with those of soy protein isolate (SPI). Edestin, a kind of hexameric legumin, was the major protein component. HPI had similar or higher levels of essential amino acids (except lysine), in comparison to those amino acids of SPI. The essential amino acids in HPI (except lysine and sulfur-containing amino acids) are sufficient for the FAO/WHO suggested requirements for 2−5 year old children. The protein solubility (PS) of HPI was lower than that of SPI at pH less than 8.0 but similar at above pH 8.0. HPI contained much higher free sulfhydryl (SH) content than SPI. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that HPI had only one endothermic peak with denaturation temperature (Td) of about 95.0 °C, attributed to the edestin component. The Td of the endotherm was nearly unaffected by 20−40 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate but significantly decreased by 20 mM d...
TL;DR: In this article, the cationic surfactant CTAB as a template is used to regulate the nucleation and crystal growth of hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles.
TL;DR: Anatase type N-F-codoped TiO 2 powder was successfully prepared by a sol-gel-solvothermal method using tetrabutyl titanate as precursor as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Anatase type N–F-codoped TiO 2 powder was successfully prepared by a sol–gel-solvothermal method using tetrabutyl titanate as precursor. The effect of acidity and solvents on crystallinity, morphology, and size of the prepared N–F–TiO 2 powder particles was investigated. The prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV–vis–DRS). The photo-catalytic activity of N–F–TiO 2 powder was measured by using the reaction of photocatalytic degradation of p -chlorophenol. It was shown that the surface of N–F–TiO 2 powder was strongly acidic, and it was confirmed that the N–F-codoped TiO 2 powder showed strong visible-light absorption and high photocatalytic activity for p -chlorophenol and Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation (400–500 nm). The catalyst showed very high visible-light activity toward photocatalytic degradation of p -chlorophenol. Under the irradiation of 150 W tungsten halogen light for 12 h, the conversion could be as high as 17.8%, which was 1.75, 1.25 and 1.5 times higher than that of commercial P25 TiO 2 , N–TiO 2 , and F–TiO 2 powder in a suspension system, respectively. The high visible-light photocatalytic activity of the N–F-codoped TiO 2 may result from the generation of additional band of N 2p in the forbidden band, and the synergetic effect of nitrogen and fluorine doped.
TL;DR: In this article, a phenol removal process was developed for coal-gasification wastewater based on extraction principles and experimental results, an extracting solvent was selected in consideration of phenol extraction, solvent recovery and COD removal for the coal gasification wastewater, and the operating cost of the proposed process was approximately balanced by the economic return of the recovered phenols.
TL;DR: In this work, polymer/inorganic hybrid core-shell microcapsules were fabricated for controlled release of poorly water-soluble drugs and polyelectrolyte multilayers assembled on the drug-loaded particles by the LbL reduced the release rate in both fluids.
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey paper suggests a framework to clarify the interactions among various economic and engineering issues by reviewing recent theoretical and practical progress in transmission investment and transmission planning methodology, which makes economic literature more accessible to the engineering community and engineering literature moreaccessible to the economic community interested in the subject.
TL;DR: In this article, composite hydrogen storage alloys in the form of powder and film have been synthesized and investigated, in order to improve hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetic properties of Mg and Mg-Ni alloys.
TL;DR: Different polysaccharide fractions extracted and purified from litchi fruit pericarp tissues exhibited strong antioxidant activities, and among these fractions, the purified poly Saccharide had the highest antioxidant activity and should be explored as a novel potential antioxidant.
TL;DR: In this paper, a Pt-Pb alloy nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PtPb/MWCNT) nanocomposite was prepared by electrodepositing Pt-pb alloy onto MWCNTs that were vertically aligned on Ta plates.
Abstract: A Pt–Pb alloy nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotube (Pt–Pb/MWCNT) nanocomposite was prepared by electrodepositing Pt–Pb alloy onto MWCNTs that were vertically aligned on Ta plates. The 10–40 nm diameter Pt–Pb alloy nanoparticles were mainly deposited at the tips, and sparsely dispersed on the sidewalls of the bamboo-like MWCNTs, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray diffraction. The high resolution TEM (HRTEM) image showed a snowflake-like morphology for the Pt–Pb nanoparticles. This Pt–Pb/MWCNT nanocomposite exhibited much stronger electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation than pristine MWCNTs, Pt–Pb on glassy carbon, and Pt/MWCNT and Au/MWCNT nanocomposites, in both neutral and alkaline solutions. This Pt–Pb/MWCNT nanocomposite electrode is hence promising for development as a nonenzymatic glucose sensor.
TL;DR: In this article, a wire-plate dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with manganese oxide/alumina/nickel foam catalyst in the discharge area at room temperature and atmospheric pressure was investigated.
Abstract: Laboratory-scale experiments were performed to evaluate the efficiency of toluene decomposition by using a wire-plate dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with manganese oxide/alumina/nickel foam catalyst in the discharge area at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The effects of oxygen content and gas flow rate were investigated. Under the optimal oxygen content and gas flow rate conditions, the combination effect of DBD and catalyst was observed, and the catalyst before/after discharge was structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). It has been found that combining DBD with catalyst in situ could improve the toluene removal efficiency, increase carbon dioxide selectivity and suppress byproducts formation. Whether the catalyst existed or not, the major products were carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide when oxygen was enough. The characterization of the catalyst suggested that DBD enhanced the dispersion of the active species, increased the stability as well as the activity of the catalyst, and strengthened the oxidation capability of the catalyst, therefore the removal of toluene was promoted.
TL;DR: The cellulose samples isolated from both de-juiced ryegrass leaves and the untreated leaves had a much lower percent crystallinity than that from wood-based fibres and had much shorter fibres than those of either cereal straws, bagasse or wood.
TL;DR: In this article, the intercalation of iron particles between the clay platelets serves as the catalyst for the growth of CNTs, while the platelets are exfoliated by the CNT, forming the unique 3D nanostructured hybrid filler.
Abstract: High-performance composites are produced using nanostructured clay-carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrids as a reinforcing filler. The intercalation of iron particles between the clay platelets serves as the catalyst for the growth of CNTs, while the platelets are exfoliated by the CNTs, forming the unique 3D nanostructured hybrid filler: a 2D clay platelet with several attached 1D CNTs (see Figure). The clay-CNTs hybrid can be directly incorporated into nylon-6 by simple melt compounding.
TL;DR: In this article, acrylic acid was grafted onto chitosan by using the ceric ion as an initiator in the presence of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker under microwave irradiation based on a modified apparatus.
TL;DR: In this paper, various morphologies of nano hydroxyapatite particles (HAP; Ca10(PO4)(OH)2) were synthesized through the hydrothermal method using CTAB as a template.
01 Oct 2006
TL;DR: The emotional space is analyzed and a novel scheme that can annotate the image emotion semantic automatically and realize emotional image retrieval is built, which enables the users to perform retrieval using emotional semantic words.
Abstract: Image emotional semantic research is a promising and challenging issue. This paper analyzes the emotional space and builds a novel scheme that can annotate the image emotion semantic automatically and realize emotional image retrieval. Based on psychological experiments evaluating evoked feelings for art paintings, we first identify an orthogonal three-dimension emotional factor space of images through 12 pairs of emotional words. Then, the following three novel image features are designed for each emotional factor to predict it. They are luminance-warm-cool fuzzy histogram, saturation-warm-cool fuzzy histogram integrated with color contrast and luminance contrast integrated with edge sharpness. The values of emotional factors can be predicted from the image features automatically by using support vector machine of regression. Finally, we design and implement an emotion-based image retrieval system, which enables the users to perform retrieval using emotional semantic words. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our model.
TL;DR: In this article, the carbon-coated Li3V2(PO4)3 (LVP/C) composites are synthesized by carbo-thermal reduction method at the optimized temperature of 900°C.
TL;DR: In this article, the use of low viscosity liquid thermosetting hyperbranched poly(trimellitic anhydride-diethylene glycol) ester epoxy resin (HTDE) as an additive to an epoxy amine resin system is discussed in detail.
Abstract: This article reports on the use of low viscosity liquid thermosetting hyperbranched poly(trimellitic anhydride-diethylene glycol) ester epoxy resin (HTDE) as an additive to an epoxy amine resin system. Four kinds of variety molecular weight and epoxy equivalent weight HTDE as modifiers in the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) amine systems are discussed in detail. It has been shown that the content and molecular weight of HTDE have important effect on the performance of the cured system, and the performance of the HTDE/DGEBA blends has been maximum with the increase of content and molecular weight or generation of HTDE. The impact strength and fracture toughness of the cured systems with 9 wt % second generation of HTDE are 58.2 kJ/m2 and 3.20 MPa m1/2, which are almost three and two times, respectively, of DGEBA performance. Furthermore, the tensile and flexural strength can be enhanced about 20%. The glass transition temperature and Vicat temperature, however, are found to decrease to some extent. The fracture surfaces are evaluated by using scanning electron microscopy, which showed that the homogeneous phase structure of the HTDE blends facilitates an enhanced interaction with the polymer matrix to achieve excellent toughness and strength enhancement of the cured systems, and the “protonema” phenomenon in SEM has been explained by in situ reinforcing and toughening mechanism and molecular simulation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2504–2511, 2006