Solutions to Industrial and Commercial Needs Using Multiple Utility Services and Emergency Generator Sets

Industrial and commercial installations generally require more than one power source to ensure continuity of electrical power to essential loads. Two principal methods are 1) two utility services and 2) one utility service and on-site generation. Load requirements, reliability, installation feasibility, and economy are some of the governing factors in the selection of which combination of power sources should be used. Furthermore, transfer switches, overcurrent protective devices, and associated controls must be coordinated in the system.     

Epilepsia partialis continua: a new manifestation of anti-Hu-associated paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis

We report on 3 anti-Hu-positive patients who presented with clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) features of epilepsia partialis continua (EPC). Two of the patients had an associated small cell carcinoma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed a hyperintense nonenhancing focal lesion in T2-weighted images in the sensorimotor area in 2 patients. Histopathological analysis of the lesion revealed inflammatory infiltrates and neuronal cell loss. In the patient who had a postmortem study, these neuropathological changes were not observed in other areas of the nervous system. This study emphasizes that the possibility of an anti-Hu-associated paraneoplastic disorder must be considered in patients with cortical encephalitis presenting with EPC when a brain tumor can be excluded.     

Thermal analysis and measurement of a solar pond prototype to study the non-convective zone salt gradient stability

Solar ponds combine solar energy collection with long-term storage and can provide reliable thermal energy at temperature ranges from 50 to 90 °C. A solar pond consists of three distinct zones. The first zone, which is located at the top of the pond and contains the less dense saltwater mixture, is the absorption and transmission region, also known as the upper convective zone (UCZ). The second zone, which contains a variation of saltwater densities increasing with depth, is the gradient zone or non-convective zone (NCZ). The last zone is the storage zone or lower convective zone (LCZ). In this region, the density is uniform and near saturation. The stability of a solar pond prototype was experimentally performed. The setup is composed of an acrylic tube with a hot plate emulating the solar thermal energy input. A study of various salinity gradients was performed based on the Stability Margin Number (SMN) criterion, which is used to satisfy the dynamic stability criterion. It was observed that erosion of the NCZ was accelerated due to mass diffusion and convection in the LCZ. It can be determined that for this prototype the density of the NCZ is greatly affected as the SMN reaches 1.5.     

Piezoelectric inkjet printing of medical adhesives and sealants

Piezoelectric inkjet printing is a noncontact process that enables microscale processing of biological materials. In this research summary, the use of piezoelectric inkjet printing for patterning medical adhesives and sealants, including a two-component polyethylene glycol hydrogel-based medical sealant, an N-butyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive, and a mussel adhesive protein biological adhesive, is described The effect of Fe(III) on mussel adhesive protein structure was evaluated by means of atomic force microscopy. The ability to process microscale patterns of medical sealants and adhesives will provide an improvement in tissue joining, including enhanced tissue integrity, reduced bond lines, and decreased adhesive toxicity. Piezoelectric inkjet deposition of medical adhesives and sealants may be used in wound closure, fracture fixation, and microscale vascular surgery.     

Energy Crisis ?Fact or Fiction

SOME political pundits suggest that the energy crisis is a political conspiracy to cover up the other difficulties confronting the administration. Others suggest that it is a business conspiracy to drive up prices. There are still others who believe it to be the natural evolution of our affluent society. With headlines screaming of gasoline shortages natural gas restrictions, and heating oil allocations, is there any doubt that an energy crisis exists?     

Ground-Fault Protection of Electrical Systems with Emergency or Standby Power

Providing reliable ground-fault protection in electrical systems having alternate emergency or standby power can present serious problems unless adequate equipment is selected and properly coordinated. Multiple neutral-to-ground connections may prevent adequate sensing of ground-fault currents and may also cause nuisance tripping of circuit breakers. This paper discusses various approaches that have been proposed to solve these problems. Particular emphasis is placed on code requirements and overall reliability of the electrical systems.     

Reduction of polyhalogenated methanes by surface-bound Fe(II) in aqueous suspensions of iron oxides

Uptake of ferrous iron from aqueous solution by iron oxides results in the formation of a variety of reactive surface species capable of reducing polyhalogenated methanes (PHMs). Pseudo-first-order reaction rate constants, k(obs), of PHMs increased in the order CHBrCl2 < CHBr2Cl < CHBr3 < CCl4 < CFBr3 < CBrCl3 < CBr2Cl2. The k(obs) values increased with the exposure time, teq, of Fe(II) to suspended iron oxides which was attributed to the rearrangement of initially sorbed Fe(II) species to more reactive surface species with time. At pH 7.2, the k(obs) values of PHMs also increased with the concentration of surface-bound ferrous iron, Fe(II)sorb, particularly when Fe(II)tot was increased to concentrations where surface precipitation becomes likely. At fixed total Fe(II) concentrations, k(obs) values increased exponentially with pH. The highest reactivities were associated with pH conditions where surface precipitation of Fe(II) is expected. Fe(II)sorb and pH, however, had opposite effects on the product formation of PHMs. At pH 7.2, the formation of formate from CX4 (X = CI, Br) increased with Fe(II)sorb, whereas increasing pH favored the formation of CHX3. The ratio of halogenated products and formate formed is indicative of the relative importance of initial one- or two-electron-transfer processes, respectively, and was found to depend on the type of iron oxide mineral also. Our data form a basis to assess the importance of chemical reactions in natural attenuation processes of PHMs in environmental systems under iron-reducing conditions.     

Correlation between microstructures and mechanical properties in Ni-rich Ni–Mn–Ga high-temperature shape-memory alloys

Microstructures and mechanical properties of polycrystalline and single-crystalline Ni_55+xMn₂₅Ga_20?x (x?=?1, 2, 3) alloys are investigated. The alloys exhibit a single martensite phase for x?=?1, and two phases containing tetragonal martensite phase and face-centered γ phase for x?=?2 and 3. The appearance of γ phase can apparently raise the strength and plasticity of the alloys. Moreover, single crystals show better mechanical properties compared with the polycrystals with the same composition. Furthermore, a kind of net-like γ phase is observed in directionally solidified Ni₅₈Mn₂₅Ga₁₇ single crystal. This alloy exhibits excellent plasticity due to that the crack propagation is seriously hindered by the plastic net-like γ phase.     

Double Doping of Semiconducting Polymers Using Ion-Exchange with a Dianion

The interactions between counterions and electronic carriers in electrically doped semiconducting polymers are important for delocalization of charge carriers, electronic conductivity, and thermal stability. The introduction of a dianions in semiconducting polymers leads to double doping where there is one counterion for two charge carriers. Double doping minimizes structural distortions, but changes the electrostatic interactions between the carriers and counterions. Polymeric ionic liquids (PIL) with croconate dianions are helpful to investigate the role of the counterion in p-type semiconducting polymers. PILs prevent diffusion of the cation into the semiconducting polymers during ion exchange. The redox-active croconate dianions undergo ion exchange with doped semiconducting polymers depending on their ionization energy. Croconate dianions are found to reduce doped films of poly(3-hexyl thiophene), but undergo ion exchange with a polythiophene with tetraethylene glycol side chains, P(g₄2T-T), that has a lower ionization energy. The croconate dianion maintains crystalline order in P(g₄2T-T) and leads to a lower activation energy for the electrical conductivity than PF₆⁻ counterions. The control of the doping level with croconate allows optimization of the thermoelectric performance of the semiconducting polymer. The thermal stability of the doped films of P(g₄2T-T) is found to depend strongly on the nature of the counterion.