Scenario analysis of bioenergy resources and CO2 emissions with a global land use and energy model

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate bioenergy supply potentials, land use changes, and CO₂ emissions in the world, using a global land use and energy model (GLUE) including land use competitions and overall biomass flows. Through a set of simulations, the following results were obtained: (1) Supply potentials of energy crops produced from surplus arable lands will be strongly affected by food supply and demand parameters in the future, such as animal food demand per capita. (2) The policy option, i.e. the world, large-scale introduction of modern fuelwood by felling and planting in existing forest, will cause drastic reduction of the mature forest area but will cause little reduction of the accumulated CO₂ emissions coming from both energy and forest sectors. One reason for this is that the additional CO₂ emissions owing to the land use conversion from the mature forest to the growing forest will partly cancel out the CO₂ reduction owing to the fuel substitution from fossil fuels to fuelwood. (3) When energy recovery of paper scrap is given priority to material recycling, bioenergy will substitute partly for fossil fuels; however the decrease in recycled paper scrap will cause an increase in roundwood felling demand. Hence, the results will be similar to those of (2).     

Performance Comparison of Scramjet‐Driven Experimental DCW‐MHD Generators with Different Cross‐Sections

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of the shape of the cross‐section of a scramjet engine‐driven experimental diagonal conducting wall (DCW)‐MHD generator on generator performance by three‐dimensional numerical analyses. We have designed MHD generators with symmetric square and circular cross‐sections, based on an experimental MHD generator with an asymmetric square cross‐section. Under the optimum load conditions, the electric power output reaches 26.6 kW for the asymmetric square cross‐section, 24.6 kW for the symmetric square cross‐section, and 22.4 kW for the circular cross‐section. The highest output is obtained for the experimental generator with the asymmetric square cross‐section. The difference in the electric power output is induced by the difference of flow velocity and boundary layer thickness. For the generator with the asymmetric square cross‐section, the average flow velocity is highest and the boundary layer is thinnest. The compression wave is generated with dependence on the channel shape. The difference in the flow velocity and boundary layer thickness is induced by the superposition of the compression wave. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 187(2): 9–16, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22403     

Hydrogen storage and thermal conductivity properties of Mg-based materials with different structures

Mg-based hydrogen storage materials can be very promising candidates for stationary energy storage application due to the high energy density and low cost of Mg. Hydrogen storage kinetics and thermal conductivity are two important factors for the material development for this kind of application. Here we studied several types of Mg-based materials with different structure-micrometer scale Mg powders, Mg nanoparticles, single crystal Mg, nanocrystalline Mg₅₀Co₅₀ BCC alloy and Mg thin film samples. It seems the Mg materials with good kinetics usually are the ones with nanostructure and tend to show poor thermal conductivity due to electron/phonon scattering resulting from more interfaces and boundaries in nanomaterials. Based on this work, good crystallinity Mg phase incorporated in carbon nano framework could be one promising option for energy storage.     

The Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Teneligliptin Attenuates Hepatic Lipogenesis via AMPK Activation in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Model Mice

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome, is increasingly a major cause of hepatic disorder. Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors, anti-diabetic agents, are expected to be effective for the treatment of NAFLD. In the present study, we established a novel NAFLD model mouse using monosodium glutamate (MSG) and a high-fat diet (HFD) and investigated the effects of a DPP-4 inhibitor, teneligliptin, on the progression of NAFLD. Male MSG/HFD-treated mice were divided into two groups, one of which received teneligliptin in drinking water. Administration of MSG and HFD caused mice to develop severe fatty changes in the liver, but teneligliptin treatment improved hepatic steatosis and inflammation, as evaluated by the NAFLD activity score. Serum alanine aminotransferase and intrahepatic triglyceride levels were significantly decreased in teneligliptin-treated mice (p < 0.05). Hepatic mRNA levels of the genes involved in de novo lipogenesis were significantly downregulated by teneligliptin (p < 0.05). Moreover, teneligliptin increased hepatic expression levels of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) protein. These findings suggest that teneligliptin attenuates lipogenesis in the liver by activating AMPK and downregulating the expression of genes involved in lipogenesis. DPP-4 inhibitors may be effective for the treatment of NAFLD and may be able to prevent its progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.     

Characterization of shale oil solids removed by the high-gradient magnetic separation technique

The high-gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) technique has been previously shown to remove solid particles successfully from several types of shale oil. The nature of the separated solids was investigated in this study, principally by thermomagnetic measurements over the temperature range 4.2–1173 K and in applied fields up to 1600 kA m^?1. Several phase transformations were identified in the magnetization profiles as a function of temperature. These transitions varied depending on the particular sample, although the low-temperature behaviour was qualitatively similar for all the solids. The magnetization increased over the range of external field studied. The magnetometric data reflect the differences in composition of the different solid samples and indicate the general occurrence of a paramagnetic phase mixed with a trace amount of ferromagnetic component. The bulk mineralogy and elemental composition of the solids were similar to those of the oil shales prior to retorting. Relatively large concentrations of iron sulphides were identified.     

Control of Traffic-Induced Vibrations of Elevated Urban Highways

Abstract: This paper studies the active control of traffic-induced vibrations of elevated highway bridges. In order to suppress the vibration, an active control device (AMD or ATMD) is installed beneath the bridge girder at the center. Three different feedback control algorithms are studied, depending on different levels of vehicle information used in control design, namely, (1) full-state feedback, (2) output feedback, and (3) constant-gain output feedback. The gains of the algorithms 1 and 2 are time-varying, while the gain of algorithm 3 is time-invariant. The numerical examples of bridge-control system responses, subjected to the moving vehicle, are computed. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the active control in reducing the bridge responses. However, for the control design, the information of passing vehicles is found to be almost unnecessary for inclusion in the feedback, although for the response analysis, it is known that the vehicles form an essential part that should be incorporated in the system dynamic model. It is also found that the control performance of ATMD is higher than that of AMD. Finally, based on the understanding of the control characteristic, a new control concept is proposed. It is shown that the ATMD's performance can be further improved by the proposed control.     

Tetragonal—Monoclinic Phase Transition Enthalpy and Temperature of ZrO2-CeO2 Solid Solutions

DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) measurements were performed to investigate the tetragonal-monoclinic ( t-m ) transition enthalpy of the compositionally homogeneous ZrO₂- X mol% CeO₂ solid solution of X = 0, 4, 8, and 12. The transition enthalpy decreases linearly with an increase of CeO₂ content. The m → t transition enthalpy on heating agreed well with the inverse t → m one obtained during cooling. With increasing X , the DSC peak broadens and the transition temperature distribution of each sample increases, while the thermal hysteresis is almost independent of X .     

Stability of tricyclic antidepressants in formalin solutions

We investigated the stability of the secondary amines, desipramine (DP) and nortriptyline (NRT), and the tertiary amines, imipramine (IP) and amitriptyline (AT), in formaldehyde (F) and paraformaldehyde (PF) aqueous solutions. NRT showed little instability in 0.37 to 37% F and PF solutions, but AT formation was detected and increased, up to 0.46 to 2.7%, in parallel with rising F and PF concentrations. DP was unstable and levels decreased to 74 to 96% with increasing F concentrations, and fell only to 96% in 10% PF solution. IP formation increased in the same manner as AT to 2.9 to 3.5% of the initial DP. When AT and IP were stored in F and PF solutions, concentrations of AT and IP did not change. DP in F pH 3 to 11 phosphate buffer (PB) solutions showed high recovery in the order: pH 5 > pH 7 > pH 9 > pH 3 and pH 11. DP in PF buffered solutions decreased slightly only at pH 3 (3.5%). By contrast, IP did not change at any pH (pH 3 to 11) of the F or PF solutions. During storage for 21 days at room temperature in 3.7% F and PF solutions, IP and DP degradation was accelerated when compared with the values in pH 3 and 7 PB solutions. However, IP detected in DP F or PF solution was only 0.2% of the initial DP 21 days after storage. Thus, AT, NRT, IP and DP degraded gradually in F and PF solutions during storage at room temperature. TCAs may first react nucleophilically with formaldehyde to form hemiaminals. DP in 3.7% formaldehyde aqueous solution formed little of its methylated product, IP, at room temperature.     

Antimicrobial activity of a compound isolated from an oil-macerated garlic extract

A compound showing antimicrobial activity was isolated from an oil-macerated garlic extract by silica gel column chromatography and preparative TLC. On basis of the results of NMR and MS analyses, it was identified as Z-4,5,9-trithiadeca-1,6-diene-9-oxide (Z-10-devinylajoene; Z-10-DA). Z-10-DA exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against such microorganisms as gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. The antimicrobial activity of Z-10-DA was comparable to that of Z-ajoene, but was superior to that of E-ajoene. Z-10-DA and Z-ajoene are different in respect of substitution of the allyl group by the methyl group flanking a sulfinyl group. This result suggests that substitution by the methyl group would also be effective for the inhibition of microbial growth.     

Density, Surface Tension, and Viscosity of PbO-B2O3-SiO2 Glass Melts

The density, surface tension, and viscosity of the melts from the PbO-B₂O₃-SiO₂ system have been measured at temperatures in the range 1073–1473 K. The effect of composition on these properties was also investigated. The density of the melt was found to increase linearly with increasing PbO content. Molar volume was derived from the density data, and its deviation from the additivity of partial molar volumes was calculated. These deviations in molar volume from those obtained from additivity rules have been used along with the ratio of various coordination numbers of boron (as reported by Bray) to discuss the structure of the melts. The surface tension was found to decrease with decreasing SiO₂/B₂O₃ ratio, and to increase in the range of the PbO content between 30 and 60 mol%, showing a maximum at ∼60 mol% PbO, and then decreased with further additions. This result suggested that the surface tension would be affected primarily by the B₂O₃ content in the range of the PbO content between 30–60 mol%, and mainly by the PbO content in the range of the PbO content >60 mol%, respectively. The viscosity of the melt was found to decrease linearly with increasing PbO content. The results obtained indicate that the increase in viscosity with B₂O₃ was half that of SiO₂ (on a molar basis), and an empirical equation has been proposed for the viscosity as a function of mole fraction.