Comparison of the performance of a reduced-order dynamic PLS soft sensor with different updating schemes for digester control

In this work, the previously developed reduced-order dynamic PLS (RO-DPLS) soft sensor is extended to its adaptive version to address frequent process changes in a pulp digester. The properties of four model update schemes and the corresponding data scaling methods are investigated through one simulated case study and two industrial case studies of Kamyr digesters. Our findings obtained through extensive experiments are presented, which are expected to provide useful information and some guidance to practitioners. Finally, the effectiveness of the recursive RO-DPLS soft sensor is demonstrated through a digester closed-loop control case study, which shows that the closed-loop control performance can be significantly improved if the soft sensor prediction is fed back to a PID controller.     

On the prediction of gas hold-up in two-phase flow systems using an Euler–Euler model

We quantify the ability of the two-fluid Euler–Euler model to predict the overall gas hold-up during two-phase flow in vertical columns using a combination of experiments and simulations. Gas hold-up in a bubble column and gas hold-up in the less-frequently studied co-current flow are investigated. For homogeneous flow characterized by nearly uniform bubble size, Euler–Euler model predictions are within 10% of the experimental values for both modes of operation, if the bubble diameter supplied as input to the model is the average bubble diameter in the physical system. This also holds true for heterogeneous flow in bubble columns despite the presence of a broad distribution of bubble sizes, if turbulence and bubble swarm effects on momentum exchange between phases are properly accounted for. Swarm corrections adequate for bubble columns, are less successful for co-current heterogeneous flow, for which gas hold-up predictions are least accurate (average error of 22%).     

Pretreatment predictors of dropout from cognitive behavioral therapy for PTSD in Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Cognitive–behavioral therapies (CBTs) can be effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but their effectiveness is limited by high rates of premature dropout. Few studies have compared pretreatment characteristics of treatment completers and dropouts, and only one has examined these factors in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) Veterans. This study analyzed archival clinical data from 117 OEF/OIF Veterans evaluated and treated through a Veterans Affairs PTSD clinic. High numbers dropped out of treatment (68%). Treatment dropouts (n = 79) and completers (n = 38) differed significantly on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scales, PTSD symptom severity, and age. Regression analyses identified one MMPI-2 scale, TRT (negative treatment indicators), and age as unique but modest predictors of dropout. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Protein Kinases and Parkinson’s Disease

Currently, the lack of new drug candidates for the treatment of major neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease has intensified the search for drugs that can be repurposed or repositioned for such treatment. Typically, the search focuses on drugs that have been approved and are used clinically for other indications. Kinase inhibitors represent a family of popular molecules for the treatment and prevention of various cancers, and have emerged as strong candidates for such repurposing because numerous serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases have been implicated in the pathobiology of Parkinson’s disease. This review focuses on various kinase-dependent pathways associated with the expression of Parkinson’s disease pathology, and evaluates how inhibitors of these pathways might play a major role as effective therapeutic molecules.     

松树之间

<正>在墨西哥Valle de Bravo一处茂密的丛林中,五栋假日住宅散布于此。它们顺应着场地的环境,在松树林与风的回声中静静屹立。五栋住宅采用完全相同的内部结构,其内部六个功能区相互连接围合出中央天井。该中庭享有良好的视野,静谧的氛围,和亲密的舒适感。位于北侧的建筑内部空间相对私密,而南侧则向自然充分开放。低层坐落着客厅,餐厅,厨房和一间融入外部露台、中庭和花园的卧室。顶层三间卧室面向松树林迎接美丽的自然景观。建筑材料源自于当地的砖,木和泥土。