Improving the Predictability of Severe Convective Weather Processes by Using Wind Vectors and Potential Temperature Changes: A Case Study of a Severe Thunderstorm

Strong, local convective weather events are capable of causing extensive damage, but weather observation systems with limited resolution and radar monitoring can typically provide only a few minutes to hours of prior warning time. This paper presents a comprehensive case study of the cumulative evolution of several characteristic quantities during one extremely severe convective weather process. The research results indicate that the main feature of strong convective weather is the uneven distribution of thermal energy in the atmosphere, and the structure of this heat distribution determines the level of instability in the atmosphere. A vertical “clockwise rolling current” occurs in the wind field structure at the beginning of the process, and this is accompanied by a rapid drop in temperature at the top of the troposphere. When these signs occurred in the case study, radar technology was used to refine the precipitation region and spatial characteristics of the approaching storm. The height and vertical evolution of radar echoes were indicative of the characteristics of the system’s movement through space. Such findings may be useful for improving the forecasting times for strong convective weather

The influence of highly dispersed Cu2O-anchored MoS2 hybrids on reducing smoke toxicity and fire hazards for rigid polyurethane foam.

The extensive utilization of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) as construction insulation material has brought two main troubles to our society: fire risks and toxic hazards. To reduce the fire hazards of RPUF, a layered MoS2 decorated with Cu2O nanoparticles was creativity obtained by hydrothermal technology and facile wet chemical treatment for reducing the toxic product formations of polyurethane nanocomposites during combustion. Due to the low weight ratio of Cu2O attached onto MoS2, the resulting Cu2O-MoS2 hybrid effectively prevented the MoS2 nanosheets from restacking. However, the Cu2O-MoS2-M hybrid was produced by increasing content of Cu2O, which has the characteristic stacked layer structure of MoS2. Reduced harmful organic volatiles and the toxic gases (e.g. a respective decrease of ca. 28% and 53% for CO and NOx products) were obtained because of synergistic effect between the physical adsorption of MoS2 and catalysis action of Cu2O. Notably, the addition of Cu2O-MoS2 hybrids led to high char formation of the RPUF nanocomposite, indicating the effectively catalytic carbonization property. In addition, the N-Gas model for predicting fire smoke toxicity was developed and demonstrated. Furthermore, the research offers direct proofs of the negative influence of the stacked MoS2 on reducing the smoke toxicity for RPUF nanocomposites

Facile synthesis of aluminum branched oligo(phenylphosphonate) submicro-particles with enhanced flame retardance and smoke toxicity suppression for epoxy resin composites.

A novel and submicro-scale aluminum branched oligo(phenylphosphonate) (AHPP) has been successfully synthesized and embedded into a polymeric substrate to improve the fire safety of epoxy resin (EP). The chemical structures of intermediates and target products were characterized using the nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analysis. Morphology analysis confirmed that all of the as-synthesized AHPP submicro-particles are mutually well-separated. Combustion results demonstrated that the limiting oxygen index value is increased to 30.5% from 23.5% while the PHRR and THR are decreased by ca. 68.1% and 41.2%, respectively for the EP/AHPP-7.5 composite compared to the corresponding values for pure EP. In addition, the binary blends display the satisfying smoke toxicity suppression performance during combustion. The total smoke production and the total CO yield for EP/AHPP-7.5 are dramatically reduced by 62.0% and 32.3%, respectively, which may mainly be ascribed to the catalytic carbonization performance of the polymers and formation of Al2O3 layers on the surface of the char residues. As a result, the findings in this study enabled the submicro-scale phosphorus-containing flame retardant to be a potential candidate as an efficient additive for reducing smoke toxicity of polymer composites

Facile synthesis of aluminum branched oligo(phenylphosphonate) submicro-particles with enhanced flame retardance and smoke toxicity suppression for epoxy resin composites

Abstract(#br)A novel and submicro-scale aluminum branched oligo(phenylphosphonate) (AHPP) has been successfully synthesized and embedded into a polymeric substrate to improve the fire safety of epoxy resin (EP). The chemical structures of intermediates and target products were characterized using the nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analysis. Morphology analysis confirmed that all of the as-synthesized AHPP submicro-particles are mutually well-separated. Combustion results demonstrated that the limiting oxygen index value is increased to 30.5% from 23.5% while the PHRR and THR are decreased by ca. 68.1% and 41.2%, respectively for the EP/AHPP-7.5 composite compared to the corresponding values for pure EP. In addition, the binary blends display the satisfying smoke toxicity suppression performance during combustion. The total smoke production and the total CO yield for EP/AHPP-7.5 are dramatically reduced by 62.0% and 32.3%, respectively, which may mainly be ascribed to the catalytic carbonization performance of the polymers and formation of Al 2 O 3 layers on the surface of the char residues. As a result, the findings in this study enabled the submicro-scale phosphorus-containing flame retardant to be a potential candidate as an efficient additive for reducing smoke toxicity of polymer composites

The Study on Newly Developed McAb NJ001 Specific to Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Its Biological Characteristics

Monoclonal antibody (McAb) is the key tool for cancer immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy. McAb-based immunotherapy that targets tumor antigens has had great achivement. In this study, a cell clone which kept secreting high-titer IgG1-type McAb named NJ001 against human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells was obtained. The titer of purified NJ001 was 2×106. The antigen named SP70 of NSCLC specifically identified by NJ001 was proved to be a protein with the relative molecular mass (Mr) of 70 kDa. The results of immunohistochemical staining indicated that NJ001 could positively react to NSCLC, but weak positively or negatively react to human small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), pulmonary pseudotumor and other epithelial tumors. In soft agar assay, the colony formation efficiency in NJ001 groups decreased in a dose-dependent manner. For the concentration of 100 µg/ml, 200 µg/ml and 400 µg/ml, the inhibition ratio of colony formation was 23.4%, 62.5% and 100% respectively. Meanwhile, NJ001 caused significant reduction in tumor volume and tumor weight compared to control mice in lung cancer xenograft model. The tumor growth inhibition ratio in 200 µg, 400 µg and 800 µg NJ001 groups was 10.44%, 37.29% and 44.04%, respectively. NJ001 also led to cytomorphological changes and induced the apoptosis of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line SPC-A1 significantly. The newly developed NJ001 selectively reacted to NSCLC and exhibited anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. NJ001 is of great value concerning immunodiagnostics and immunotherapy for NSCLC and holds promise for further research regarding the mechanism underlying tumor progression of NSCLC

Advances in Laser Drilling of Structural Ceramics

The high-quality, high-efficiency micro-hole drilling of structural ceramics to improve the thermal conductivity of hot-end parts or achieve high-density electronic packaging is still a technical challenge for conventional processing techniques. Recently, the laser drilling method (LDM) has become the preferred processing tool for structural ceramics, and it plays an irreplaceable role in the industrialized processing of group holes on structural ceramic surfaces. A variety of LDMs such as long pulsed laser drilling, short pulsed laser drilling, ultrafast pulsed laser drilling, liquid-assisted laser drilling, combined pulse laser drilling have been developed to achieved high-quality and high-efficiency micro-hole drilling through controlling the laser–matter interaction. This article reviews the characteristics of different LDMs and systematically compares the morphology, diameter, circularity, taper angle, cross-section, heat affect zone, recast layer, cracks, roughness, micro–nano structure, photothermal effect and photochemical reaction of the drilling. Additionally, exactly what processing parameters and ambient environments are optimal for precise and efficient laser drilling and their recent advancements were analyzed. Finally, a summary and outlook of the LDM technology are also highlighted

Taxonomic studies on the genus Isotrema (Aristolochiaceae) from China: I. I. cangshanense, a new species from Yunnan

Volume: 134Start Page: 115-12

Single-Mode Input Fiber Combined with Multimode Sensing Fiber Used in Brillouin Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry

Conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (BOTDR) suffers from a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and severe sensing reliability due to the influence of the stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold and bend loss. In this study, a simple and low-cost distributed sensing structure, with a single-mode input fiber alignment fusion and a 50 μm diameter graded index multimode sensing fiber, is designed, and the SNR characteristic is investigated. Through theoretical derivation and experimental verification, a higher SNR and excellent bending resistance are realized in BOTDR. The experimentally measured improvements in the SNR of the proposed sensing structure over the SMF at the beginning and end of a 5 km fiber are 2.5 dB and 1.3 dB, respectively. The minimum bending radius of the sensing structure is 2.25 mm, which is much better than that of the SMFs. The bidirectional optical losses between the SMF and the 50 μm graded index multimode fiber are measured by a simple experiment system and are 0.106 dB and 1.35 dB, respectively. The temperature-sensing characteristics of the sensing structure are measured by the self-built frequency-shift local heterodyne BOTDR sensor, and the measured temperature sensitivity and accuracy are 0.946 MHz/℃ and 1 ℃, respectively. The design provides a reference for BOTDR with a high SNR and has great potential for structural safety and health monitoring of infrastructures

Preparation of La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17O2.815 Powders by Microwave-induced Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Solution Polymerization

A new and simple chemical route, named microwave-induced poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution polymerization, has been used to prepare fine, homogeneous and high-density pellets of purer La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17O2.815 (denoted as LS0.2GM0.17). The effect of different contents of PVA as the polymeric carrier, was studied and we obtained an optimal amount of PVA (1.65:1 ratio of positively charged valences of the cations (Men+) to negatively charged hydroxyl (–OH−) groups of the organics), which could ensure homogenous distribution of the metal ions in the polymeric network structure and inhibit segregation. The behavior of the powder after calcination at different temperatures was studied. The PVA solution process consumed less organic material compared with the Pechini process, and consequently PVA was a more effective carrier in the preparation of LSGM. Higher heating rate and a more homogenous heating manner without thermal gradients in the microwave oven resulted in fewer secondary phases in the LS0.2GM0.17 powder after calcination at 1400 °C for 9 h and a smaller pellet grain size (2–3 μm) without segregation. The density of LS0.2GM0.17 pellet sintered at 1400 °C for 9 h was 6.19 g cm−3