Synfuel development impacts— econometric modelling and policy analysis

The prospects for rapid near-term development of a synfuel industry in the USA have decreased, due to depressed world oil prices, synfuel project cost overruns, and the lukewarm support of the Reagan administration. Nonetheless, socioeconomic and environmental impact analysis studies can provide valuable information for determining the regional welfare effects of proposed projects. The author discusses the results of a regional econometric analysis of the synfuel projects planned for Western Kentucky, which focuses on environmental impacts, and reveals the inevitable trade-offs that would accompany synfuel development. Some policy issues are briefly reviewed, especially that of efficient energy pricing.     

Growth, voluntary food intake and digestion in farmed temperate and tropical deer

Growth and voluntary feed intake (VFI) in grazing temperate farmed deer species are influenced by the feeding value of the forage and the stage of the deer's seasonal cycle. Liveweight gain (LWG) of growing red deer was greater when perennial ryegrass (0.80)/white clover (0.20) pasture was grazed at 10 cm than 5 cm surface height, but venison production by one year of age was still low. Chicory and red clover were of superior feeding value for deer than perennial ryegrass-based pastures, increasing LWG of young red and hybrid (0.25 elk; 0.75 red deer) deer during summer and autumn, due to higher VFI and to higher organic matter digestibility. Relative to perennial ryegrass, chicory disintegrated faster in the rumen, with very low rumination time and faster rumen outflow rates of liquid and particulate matter. Inputs of red clover and chicory substantially increased venison carcass weights at one year of age from grazing red and hybrid stags. In indoor pen feeding studies, red deer were shown to have a seasonal cycle of digestive function, with greater rumen mean retention time (MRT) and greater rates of rumen ammonia production in summer than in winter. It was deduced that the purpose of the digestive cycle was to maintain apparent digestibility constant as VFI increased during summer. Tropical sambar deer were also shown to have seasonal cycles in growth and VFI that were of reduced amplitude compared with red deer. Peak VFI and growth occurred in autumn and minimum VFI and growth occurred in spring. Feed conversion (kg DM eaten/kg LWG) was more efficient for sambar than for red deer, due to lower VFI and lower heat production, but there was no difference between species in digestive efficiency.     

Mechanisms involved in the intrinsic isoniazid resistance of Mycobacterium avium

Isoniazid (INH), which acts by inhibiting mycolic acid biosynthesis, is very potent against the tuberculous mycobacteria. It is about 100-fold less effective against Mycobacterium avium. This difference has often been attributed to a decreased permeability of the cell wall. We measured the rate of conversion of radiolabelled INH to 4-pyridylmethanol by whole cells and cell-free extracts and estimated the permeability barrier imposed by the cell wall to INH influx in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium. There was no significant difference in the relative permeability to INH between these two species. However, the total conversion rate in M. tuberculosis was found to be four times greater. Examination of in vitro-generated mutants revealed that the major resistance mechanism for both species is loss of the catalase-peroxidase KatG. Analysis of lipid and protein biosynthetic profiles demonstrated that the molecular target of activated INH was identical for both species. M. avium, however, formed colonies at INH concentrations inhibitory for mycolic acid biosynthesis. These mycolate-deficient M. avium exhibited altered colony morphologies, modified cell wall ultrastructure and were 10-fold more sensitive to treatment with hydrophobic antibiotics, such as rifampin. These findings may significantly impact the design of new therapeutic regimens for the treatment of infections with atypical mycobacteria.     

Distributions most nearly compatible with given families of conditional distributions

Consider a discrete bivariate random variable (X, Y) with possible values 1, 2, ...,I forX and 1, 2, ...J forY. Suppose that putative families of conditional distributions, forX given values ofY and ofY given values ofX, are available. After reviewing conditions for compatibiity of such conditional specifications of the distribution of (X, Y), attention is focussed on the incompatible case. The Kullback-Leibler information function is shown to provide a convenient measure of inconsistency. Using it, algorithms are provided for computing the joint distribution for (X, Y) that is least discrepant from the given inconsistent conditional specifications. Other discrepancy measures are briefly discussed.     

A case of clofazimine enteropathy

A case of clofazimine enteropathy is described. A young male received clofazimine 200 mg daily for four years. He was admitted in a pigmented, emaciated state with abdominal pain, diarrhoea and weight loss. At laparotomy his abdominal organs were stained with dark brown-black pigment due to heavy infiltration with clofazimine crystals. Despite withdrawal of clofazimine his symptoms failed to settle. He developed oedema and hypoalbuminaemia. He died following a cerebral infarction.     

The multivariable model-based control of the non-alumina electrolyte variables in aluminum smelting cells

This paper investigates the application of multivariable model-based control to improve the regulatory control of electrolyte temperature, aluminum fluoride concentration, liquidus temperature, superheat, and electrolyte height. Also examined are therappropriateness of different control structures and the possible inclusion of recently developed sensors for alumina concentration and individual cell duct flowrate, temperature, and heat loss. For the smelter in this study, the maximum improvement possible with a multivariable model-based controller is predicted to be 30–40% reduction in standard deviation in electrolyte temperature, aluminum fluoride concentration, liquidus temperature, and superheat, and around half this for electrolyte height. Three control structures were found to be appropriate; all are different than the existing control structure, which was found to be suboptimal. Linear Quadratic Gaussian controllers were designed for each control structure and their predicted performance compared. Comalco Research.     

KINETIC AND TRACER STUDIES ON METHANOL CONVERSION OVER SUPPORTED PLATINUM CATALYSTS

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange in methanol over Al₂,O₃, platinum black and alumina supported platinum catalysts have been investigated by means of mass spectrometry. The hydrogen-deuterium exchange proceeds faster over Pt/Al₂O₃ than either platinum black or alumina, and the rate (as well as the rate of dimethyl ether formation) increases with platinum dispersion. From the reactions CH₃OH + D₂, CD₃OH + H₂ and CD₃OH + D₂ the different exchange rates of the CH₃ and OH groups (R₁, and R₂, respectively) were determined. For all catalysts studied the exchange in the OH group was two or three orders of magnitude faster than CH₃ group. Exchange in the methyl group needs higher activation energy: R₁/R₂ ratio increases with temperature. Catalyst pretreatment has an important effect: higher activation temperature results in a higher R₁/R₂ ratio.

A methematical method is suggested for the evaluation of exchange rates of a molecule with two different types of hydrogen and a model is given for the interpretation of measured data: methanol is activated mainly on Al₂,O₃, forming surface methoxide groups on the Lewis acidic sites. This methoxide can react with deuterium atoms having been activated over platinum sites. With increasing dispersion the metal-support interface is enhanced which leads to higher rate of exchange.     

List-based Data Structures for Efficient Management of Advance Reservations

Complex eScience and other sophisticated applications in the field of HPC imply new demands that queuing based resource management systems cannot meet. To guarantee Quality of Service and co-allocation in the Grid, planning based resource management systems implementing advance reservation are needed. These systems face new challenges as a planning based management system has to keep track of the jobs and reservations in the future. Additionally, during the negotiation process of incoming reservations, a good overview of the remaining, not-yet reserved capacity is needed—not only for the current allocation, but also for the whole book-ahead time. Therefore, the resource management problem becomes a two dimensional problem for advance reservations in this field. In this paper different data structures are investigated and discussed in order to fit to planning based resource management. As a result the benefits of using lists of resource allocation or free blocks are exposed. This general idea widely used to manage continuous resources is extended to cover not only the resource dimension but also the time dimension. The list of blocks approach is evaluated in a Grid level and a local resource management system for a computing cluster. The extensive simulations showed a better runtime and higher reservation success rate compared with the currently favored approach of a slotted time and the more sophisticated approach based on AVL trees.     

Thermal degradation of aliphatic–aromatic polyamides: Kinetics of N,N′-Dihexylisophthalamide neat and in presence of copper lodide

An experimental study to determine the effect of copper (I) iodide (Cul) on the rate and product distribution of degradation of a model of an aliphatic–aromatic polyamide was carried out. N,N′-Dihexylisophthalamide (DHI) was reacted in both an inert argon atmosphere and a pure oxygen environment at 350°C with CuI added in amounts ranging from 0 to 20% by weight. The rate of disappearance of DHI was enhanced by an order of magnitude when 0.5% by weight of CuI was added and was an increasing function of increasing CuI loading. Reaction in pure O₂ increased the rate of DHI degradation by two orders of magnitude over that for neat DHI pyrolysis. The rate of disappearance of DHI in O₂ was relatively unchanged when 5% CuI by weight was added. The transformations of DHI and its products are organized in terms of a set of reaction rules. This “reaction operator” formalism allowed computer generation of the reaction network and facilitated estimation of kinetic parameters. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation of trehalose and sorbitol fatty acid polyesters by interesterification

Trehalose octaoleate and sorbitol hexaoleate were prepared by a one-stage solvent-free interesterification of methyl oleate with trehalose octaacetate (TOAC) and sorbitol hexaacetate (SOHA), respectively, in the presence of 1–2.5% sodium metal as catalyst. The greatest yield of trehalose octaoleate, 97.5%, and sorbitol hexaoleate, 96.0%, were obtained at a mole ratio of methyl oleate: SOHA of 6:1 and methyl oleate:TOAC of 8:1 at a synthesis time of 2.5 hr, and temperatures of 105–115°C. The structure of both trehalose octaoleate and sorbitol hexaoleate was confirmed by infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (C-13 NMR) spectroscopy. Physical properties such as viscosity, HLB, solubility, color, refractive index, specific gravity and density approximated the physical properties of sucrose polyesters (SPE) and vegetable oils. Trehalose octaoleate and sorbitol hexaoleate, as well as sucrose octaoleate, were not susceptible toin vitro lipolysis, suggesting potential application as low calorie oils. Presented at American Oil Chemists’ Society Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, in May, 1987.