The impact of inoculum source,inoculum to substrate ratio and sample preservation on methane potential from different substrates

Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of inoculum sources, inoculum to substrate (IS) ratio and storage conditions on the potential and production rate of methane (CH₄) from different substrates: wheat straw, whole crop maize, cattle manure, grass and cellulose.The results of the test with four inocula and four substrates indicated that inoculum source could have a significant impact on both CH₄ potential (BMP) and the kinetics parameters of different substrates. The two inocula showing the highest BMP and production rates in each period were those coming from a feeding with more than 70% of animal manure under thermophilic conditions. The impact of the IS ratio in the range 0.25–2.5, in terms of g volatile solids (VS) substrate/g VS inoculum, depended on substrate type. Maize silage was more affected to changes in the IS ratio than wheat straw. The optimal IS ratio range for maize was 1.0–1.5, however, a wider IS range can be used in wheat straw (0.5–2.5). The impact of freezing and drying depended on biomass type. Freezing, drying and ensiling of grass increased the CH₄ yield compared to fresh grass. Drying of maize had no impact while freezing reduced the CH₄ potential. Drying and freezing had no impact on straw.     

The growth of oleaginous Rhodotorula glutinis in an internal-loop airlift bioreactor by using mixture substrates of rice straw hydrolysate and crude glycerol

The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) to microbial oils is attracting a growing amount of attention. However, the growth of the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula glutinis on LCB hydrolysate (mainly rice straw) only will lead to a low lipid mass fraction, in the range of 10–20%. This study shows that the addition of crude glycerol to the LCB hydrolysate medium can efficiently raise the lipid mass fraction to the range of 30–40%. Crude glycerol is a by-product in the biodiesel production process. The use of renewable LCB hydrolysate and crude glycerol would greatly reduce the substrate cost for microbial oil production using R. glutinis. In addition, the results of experiments show that a low-cost airlift bioreactor is a more suitable fermentation process for the growth of R. glutinis than the use of a conventional agitation tank. When using mixed carbon sources of LCB hydrolysate with 30 kg m⁻³ of reducing sugars and 30 kg m⁻³ of crude glycerol, a maximal cell mass of 21.4 kg m⁻³ and lipid mass fraction of 58.5 ± 6.2 were achieved in an internal loop airlift bioreactor, and this process may have the potential to be applied in scale-up production.     

Revisiting Linus’s law: Benefits and challenges of open source software peer review

Open source projects leverage a large number of people to review products and improve code quality. Differences among participants are inevitable and important to this collaborative review process—participants with different expertise, experience, resources, and values approach the problems differently, increasing the likelihood of finding more bugs and fixing the particularly difficult ones. To understand the impacts of member differences on the open source software peer review process, we examined bug reports of Mozilla Firefox. These analyses show that the various types of member differences increase workload as well as frustration and conflicts. However, they facilitate situated learning, problem characterization, design review, and boundary spanning. We discuss implications for work performance and community engagement, and suggest several ways to leverage member differences in the open source software peer review process.     

Investigation into eddy current pulsed thermography for rolling contact fatigue detection and characterization

This paper reports on the use of eddy current pulsed thermography (ECPT) for detection and characterization of rolling contact fatigue (RCF). Detection mechanisms with eddy currents and heat propagation effects were discussed with RCF modeled as a simple angled defect. Two different angled defects were studied through numerical simulations and experimentally by using uniform magnetic field (UMF) excited by Helmholtz coils. Finally, a rail sample with RCF defects was inspected using UMF excitation. It is shown that ECPT with UMF excitation provides an efficient and robust method to detect angled defects, compared with nonuniform magnetic field (NUMF) excitation.     

Two-Dimensional Problem of a Crack in Thermoelectric Materials

The two-dimensional problem of a crack in thermoelectric materials is studied in this research. The general solution is derived based on the complex variable method. For the case of a crack subjected to remote electric current and heat flow, the solutions are obtained in closed-form. The results show that the fields of heat flow, electric current, and stress exhibit traditional square-root singularity at the crack tip. The remote electric current produces both type I and II stress intensity factor. Furthermore, the stress intensity factor has a linear relationship with the heat flux, but a non-linear relationship with the electric current.     

壁电流探测器在中国散裂中子源快循环同步加速器调束中的应用

快循环同步加速器（RCS）是中国散裂中子源（CSNS）的重要组成部分。负氢粒子束经直线加速器加速至80 MeV，剥离成质子束注入至RCS环并加速累积至1.6 GeV引出打靶。束流通过安装在RCS环的壁电流探测器（WCM）感应得到束流的强度信息，环高频与环主二极磁铁的失配会导致束流的实际振荡偏离理论预测。本文通过对WCM的数据进行分析得到了纵向工作点、束流的实际振荡频率、束团的电荷量、束团的形状变化等信息，方便了加速器的调束，并对参数测量中的测量误差进行了分析。     

Computational modeling of heat transfer in magneto-non-Newtonian material in a circular tube with viscous and Joule heating

Numerous industrial and engineering systems, like, heat exchangers, chemical action reactors, geothermic systems, geological setups, and many others, involve convective heat transfer through a porous medium. The diffusion rate, drag force, and mechanical phenomenon are dealt with in the Darcy–Forchheimer model, and hence this model is vital to study the fluid flow and heat transport analysis. Therefore, numerical simulation of the Darcy–Forchheimer dynamics of a Casson material in a circular tube subjected to the energy losses due to the viscous heating and Joule dissipation mechanisms is performed. The novelty of the present investigation is to scrutinize the convective heat transport characteristics in a circular tube saturated with Darcy–Forchheimer porous matrix by utilizing the non-Newtonian Casson fluid. The flow occurs due to the elongation of the surface of a tube with a uniform heat-based source/sink. The similarity solution of the nonlinear problem was obtained using dimensionless similarity variables. The effects of operating parameters related to the flow phenomena are analyzed. Further, the friction factor and Nusselt number are also analyzed in detail. The present flow model ensures no flow reversal and acts as a coolant of the heated cylindrical surface; the existence of the magnetic field, as well as an inertial coefficient, acts as the momentum-breaking forces, whereas Casson fluidity builds it. The Joule heating phenomenon enhances the magnitude of temperature. The thermal field of the Casson fluid is higher at the surface of the circular pipe due to convective thermal conditions.     

The effect of optimized carbon source on the synthesis and composition of exopolysaccharides produced by Lactobacillus paracasei

This study aimed to predict the optimal carbon source for higher production of exopolysaccharides (EPS) by Lactobacillus paracasei TD 062, and to evaluate the effect of this carbon source on the production and monosaccharide composition of EPS. We evaluated the EPS production capacity of 20 strains of L. paracasei under the same conditions. We further investigated L. paracasei TD 062, which showed the highest EPS-producing activity (0.609 g/L), by examining the associated biosynthesis pathways for EPS. Genomics revealed that fructose, mannose, trehalose, glucose, galactose, and lactose were carbon sources that L. paracasei TD 062 could use to produce EPS. We identified an EPS synthesis gene cluster that could participate in transport, export, and sugar chain synthesis, and generate 6 sugar nucleotides. Experimental results showed that the sugar content of the EPS produced using fermentation with the optimized carbon source (fructose, mannose, trehalose, glucose, galactose, and lactose) increased by 115%. Furthermore, use of the optimized carbon source changed the monosaccharide content of the associated EPS. The results of enzyme activity measurements showed significant increases in the activity of 2 key enzymes involved in the glycoside synthesis pathway. Our study revealed that optimizing the carbon source provided for fermentation not only increased the production of EPS, but also affected the composition of the monosaccharides by increasing enzyme activity in the underlying synthesis pathways, suggesting an important role for carbon source in the production of EPS by L. paracasei TD 062.     

不同制样方法对直流辉光放电质谱法测定氮化硼中27种杂质元素的影响

讨论了3种制样方法对直流辉光放电质谱法(dc-GDMS)检测氮化硼中的Na、Mg、Al、Si等27种杂质元素的影响。3种制样方法分别如下所示:方法1,直接把氮化硼压在铟薄片上;方法2,把氮化硼压在铟薄片上后,再盖上一层铟罩;方法3,把压碎后的氮化硼放在针状钽勺上。在优化的辉光放电参数下对比了3种不同制样方法对基体信号强度的影响。试验表明:在方法1中,当氮化硼尺寸约为3mm×3mm,厚度小于1mm时,基体¹¹B的信号可达1.8×10⁷ cps;在方法2中,选择铟孔大小合适的铟罩,基体¹¹B的信号可达1.0×10⁷ cps;方法3获得基体信号强度比方法1、方法2高一个数量级。大部分元素在中分辨率下可获得较好的结果,而对于在高分辨率下也较难分离的元素,可选择丰度较低的同位素在中分辨率下进行测定,如Ge选择⁷⁰Ge⁺,Se选择⁸²Se⁺,Cd选择¹¹¹Cd⁺,Sn选择¹¹⁹Sn⁺,Ag选择¹⁰⁹Ag⁺,Pt选择¹⁹⁴Pt⁺。氮化硼中的杂质元素含量可通过样品片中待测元素含量减去来自于铟薄片或钽勺中该元素贡献的含量来计算获得。将样品平行测定5次,相对标准偏差均在20%以内。对于Al、Si、Ti等元素的测定,3种制样方法的测定结果基本一致;方法1、方法2中检测到的In含量较大,使得铟中的Ni、Cu对氮化硼的测定值影响较大;方法3由于钽中Fe、Cu的贡献导致氮化硼中Fe、Cu的检测值较大,但方法3获得的基体信号强度大,可降低部分元素的检出限,如Cr、Mn、Ga、Ge等。综上所述,方法3为优选方法。     

粉土界面恒刚度循环剪切试验研究

竖向循环荷载作用下桩土界面的作用机理是研究桩土摩擦疲劳的关键。针对循环荷载作用下桩-粉土界面的剪切性能,使用改进的剪切试验装置在恒刚度条件下进行循环剪切试验,研究循环次数、累积位移和法向刚度对其摩擦疲劳性能、循环后单调剪切性能的影响。试验结果表明,粉土在循环剪切过程中,法向应力和剪应力在初始10个循环内随循环数增加快速衰减,随着循环进行,逐渐趋于稳定;单次循环内在剪切位移方向变化时,土体呈现表现出剪缩-剪胀-剪缩交替现象,总体变形呈现剪缩的趋势;循环荷载作用下,粉土界面的法向应力和剪应力随法向刚度增大衰减速率增大,达到稳定的累积循环位移越小;粉土循环后的单调剪切、法向应力恢复的单调剪切的剪应力比小于首次单调剪切试验值,且法向应力恢复的循环后剪切试验的剪胀程度较小,表明循环剪切过程中界面处粉土颗粒棱角破碎,颗粒变得光滑。在对试验数据分析的基础上,提出了与累积位移、法向刚度和初始应力相关的无量纲累积位移,建立了法向应力和界面摩擦角随累积位移的衰减方程。