Seasonal Variation and Land-Use/Land-Cover Type Impacts on the Correlation of Urban Heat Island Intensity and Difference Vegetation Index with Satellite Data in Xi’an,China

Green coverage has pronounced influences on urban heat island (UHI) effect, while the impacts of seasonal variation and Land-Use/Land-Cover (LULC) types on this effect has not been implemented. This paper investigated the spatio-seasonal characteristics of urban thermal environment and the vegetation-soil mixed area, and then explored the effects of vegetation status on UHI intensity from the perspectives of seasons and regions in Xi’an using four Landsat 8 images. UHI intensity index was implemented to extract UHI intensity based on thermal infrared imagery, and difference vegetation index (DVI) was used to represent vegetation-soil mixed area. Results indicated that DVI has impacts on UHI intensity, and their relations vary with season and region. In the whole Xi’an, if UHI intensity is smaller than -0.1, DVI increases with the increase of UHI intensity; whereas for UHI intensity is greater than -0.1, DVI decreases with increases of the UHI intensity from early spring to autumn. The highest correlation level was discovered in the autumn map (R²=0.713). Results of correlation analysis further displayed that DVI positively correlated with UHI intensity at impervious surface, and that the main urban area possessed the best correlation with R²=0.564 5.     

A Time-Domain Electromagnetic Transmitter with Great Power and Large Current by Using a Closed-Loop Phase Shifting Control Strategy

A time-domain electromagnetic transmitter (TDET) with great power and large current was designed by using a closed-loop phase shifting control strategy. A clamping voltage source circuit was applied in this system to improve the falling edge of emission current and shorten the turn-off time. The simulated results showed that this TDET exhibited the advantages including a large current, strong capability for rapid turn-off, stably output voltage, preferably dynamic performance, a widely adjustable range in transmitting voltage, accurate measurement precision.     

Fingerprint Core Location Algorithm Based on Sliding Window

In order to improve the efficiency of the fingerprint core location algorithm, a fingerprint core location method using sliding window on the basis of core location algorithm with the complex filter was proposed. The local region of the fingerprint image was extracted by a fixed-size window sliding in the region of the fingerprint image, and the selected local region by window as the calculation object is used to detect the core. The experiment results show that the method cannot only effectively detect fingerprint core, but also improve the efficiency of the detection algorithm comparing with the global fingerprint core location detection algorithm.     

Generation of Linear and Parabolic Concentration Gradients by Using a Christmas Tree-Shaped Microfluidic Network

This paper describes a simple method of generating concentration gradients with linear and parabolic profiles by using a Christmas tree-shaped microfluidic network.The microfluidic gradient generator consists of two parts:a Christmas tree-shaped network for gradient generation and a broad microchannel for detection.A two-dimensional model was built to analyze the flow field and the mass transfer in the microfluidic network.The simulating results show that a series of linear and parabolic gradient profiles were generated via adjusting relative flow rate ratios of the two source solutions(R_L~2≥0.995 and _PR~2≥0.999),which could match well with the experimental results(R_L~2≥0.987 and _PR~2≥0.996).The proposed method is promising for the generation of linear and parabolic concentration gradient profiles,with the potential in chemical and biological applications such as combinatorial chemistry synthesis,stem cell differentiation or cytotoxicity assays.     

Critical Chords of Convex Bodies of Constant Width

In this paper, we show that when Minkowski measure of asymmetry of convex body K of constant width is bigger than α (n-1), K has at least n+1 critical chords, where \(\alpha (n) = \frac{{n + \sqrt {2n(n + 1)} }}{{n + 2}}\).     

Wiener Indices in Random Cyclooctane Chains

The Wiener index of a connected graph (molecule graph) G is the sum of the distances between all pairs of vertices of G. In this paper, simple exact formula are established for the expected value of Wiener index in random cyclooctane chain. Moreover, we obtain the average value of the Wiener indices with respect to the set of all cyclooctane chains with n octagons.     

Shear-thickening behavior of Fe-ZSM5 zeolite slurry and its removal with alumina/boehmites

A cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) technique was used to explore the shear-thickening behavior of Fe-ZSM5 zeolite pastes and to discover its underlying mechanism. Bare Fe-ZSM5 zeolite samples were found to contain agglomerations, which may break the flow of the pastes and cause shear-thickening behaviors. However, the shear-thickening behaviors can be eliminated by the addition of halloysite and various boehmites because of improved particle packing. Furthermore, compared with pure Fe-ZSM5 zeolite samples and its composite samples with halloysite, the samples with boehmite (Pural SB or Disperal) additions exhibited network structures in their cryo-SEM images; these structures could facilitate the storage and release of flow water, smooth paste flow, and avoid shear-thickening. By contrast, another boehmite (Versal 250) formed agglomerations rather than network structures after being added to the Fe-ZSM5 zeolite paste and resulted in shear-thickening behavior. Consequently, the results suggest that these network structures play key roles in eliminating the shear-thickening behavior.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC-particle-strengthening tri-metal Al/Cu/Ni composite produced by accumulative roll bonding process

In this study, a multilayer Al/Ni/Cu composite reinforced with SiC particles was produced using an accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process with different cycles. The microstructure and mechanical properties of this composite were investigated using optical and scanning microscopy and hardness and tensile testing. The results show that by increasing the applied strain, the Al/Ni/Cu multilayer composite converted from layer features to near a particle-strengthening characteristic. After the fifth ARB cycle, a composite with a uniform distribution of reinforcements (Cu, Ni, and SiC) was fabricated. The tensile strength of the composite increased from the initial sandwich structure to the first ARB cycle and then decreased from the first to the third ARB cycle. Upon reaching five ARB cycles, the tensile strength of the composite increased again. The variation in the elongation of the composite exhibited a tendency similar to that of its tensile strength. It is observed that with increasing strain, the microhardness values of the Al, Cu, and Ni layers increased, and that the dominant fracture mechanisms of Al and Cu were dimple formation and ductile fracture. In contrast, brittle fracture in specific plains was the main characteristic of Ni fractures.     

Crystallographic texture and earing behavior analysis for different second cold reductions of double-reduction tinplate

Since the production of tinplate with non-earing properties is difficult, especially when it is produced via the double-reduction process, the optimal degree of second cold reduction is particularly important for achieving desirable drawing properties. The evolution of texture and the earing propensity of double-reduction tinplate with different extents of second reduction were investigated in this study. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to observe the changes in the microstructure at various extents of reduction. Two common testing methods, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction, were used to investigate the texture of the specimens, which revealed the effects of deformation percentage on the final texture development and the change in the grain boundary. The earing rate was determined via earing tests involving measurement of the height of any ear. The results obtained from both XRD analyses and earing tests revealed the same ideal value for the second cold reduction on the basis of the relationship between crystallographic texture and the degree of earing.     

Solid-phase synthesis of Cu<Subscript>2</Subscript>MoS<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanoparticles for degradation of methyl blue under a halogen-tungsten lamp

The Cu₂MoS₄ nanoparticles were prepared using a relatively simple and convenient solid-phase process, which was applied for the first time. The crystalline structure, morphology, and optical properties of Cu₂MoS₄ nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and UV-vis spectrophotometry. Cu₂MoS₄ nanoparticles having a band gap of 1.66 eV exhibits good photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue, which indicates that this simple process may be critical to facilitate the cheap production of photocatalysts.