Production of d-glucose from pseudo paper sludge with hydrothermal treatment

To convert cellulosic organics contained in industrial paper sludge into glucose, reaction of pseudo paper sludge composed of cellulose and inorganic compounds (calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), talc (Mg₃(Si₄O₁₀)(OH)₂), kaolin (Al₂(Si₂O₅)(OH)₄)) under hydrothermal conditions was studied. Significant amounts of glucose (ca. 23%) could be produced from cellulose in the absence of CaCO₃ for reaction in water at 523 K and 12 min reaction time. On the other hand, in the presence of CaCO3, most glucose decomposed over all conditions, whereas the addition of talc and kaolin to the mixtures increased the glucose yield to about 30%. For the case of chemical recycle of paper sludge with hydrothermal treatment to obtain d-glucose, it can be concluded that it is preferable to separate the calcium carbonate from the paper sludge before hydrothermal treatment.     

EFFECT OF PREHYDROGENATION ON HYDROCONVERSION OF MAYA RESIDUUM, PART I: PROCESS CHARACTERIZATION

Maya 650°F residuum was mildly prehydrogenated over a standard, commercially available, hydrodesulfurization catalyst. The product was then distilled to yield hydrogenated Maya 650°F residuum. This prehydrogenated residuum, and the untreated Maya 650°F residuum were separately hydroprocessed further at different process severities. The resulting products were then examined by elemental analyses to determine the effects of die prehydrogenation step on overall conversion and product quality.

The primary effect of the prehydrogenation step was to increase the overall conversions for sulfur, MCR, nitrogen, and asphaltenes. As a result, the hydro-conversion products derived from the prehydrogenation were substantially better quality than the corresponding direct hydroconversion products. The prehydrogenation step also lowered the severity required for equivalent residuum hydroconversion upgrading.     

Individual variation for cognitive decline: Quantitative methods for describing patterns of change.

What are the best quantitative methods for studying cognitive decline? This question was investigated in a sample of 638 individuals aged 50 years and older from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging. A battery of cognitive tests tapping multiple domains was administered to each individual from 2 to 7 times over a span of 10 years. Four methods of operationalizing cognitive decline were compared: change scores, a criterion-based method, least squares, and random effects regression (RER). The RER results were most consistent with a significant decline across measures and differences between demented and nondemented individuals. Predicted slopes from the RER model also showed the strongest interrelationships within and across cognitive domains as indicated by factor analysis results and stronger associations with demographic, health, and psychosocial predictors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Signalling regions: Multiprocessing in a shared memory reconsidered

The goal of this paper is to return attention to two problems that arise in the context of supporting the monitor as a mechanism for concurrent programming. This paper will re-examine the monitor concept in its original context—a multiprocessing environment implemented on a single processor sharing memory with and being interrupted by asynchronous peripheral devices—and will address the two previously unresolved problems. The first is the conflict between the immediate resumption requirement in explicit signalling and the policies and priorities of the process scheduler. The second is the possibility of deadlock inherent in nested monitors and in its most important instance, the dynamic resource allocation problem. After briefly describing the historical context of these two problems, the paper proposes a language structure called a signalling region that together with the notion of encapsulation by modules solves the immediate resumption problem and avoids the nested monitor problem. The former is done by a combination of the signal-and-return semantics of Concurrent Pascal and the signal-and-continue semantics of Mesa and StarMod. The latter is done by suggesting that mutual exclusion and data encapsulation are distinct concepts that, if separated, make nested encapsulation possible while avoiding the problems of nested mutual exclusion. Classical examples of the use of signalling regions in an extended Modula-2 are given as well as an implementation by translation to unextended Modula-2 together with a Kernel module.     

Frequency/voltage convertor with low output ripple

A circuit is desdribed which performs linear frequency-to-voltage conversion with nominally zero output ripple and, at one frequency, ideal step response. This is in contrast to conventional convertors which have large output ripple, the removal of which necessarily produces slow response.     

Molecular cloning, cDNA sequence analysis, and chromosomal localization of mouse Pkd2

The gene responsible for the second form of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, PKD2, has recently been identified. We now describe the cloning, genomic localization, cDNA sequence, and expression analysis of its murine homologue, Pkd2. The cloned cDNA sequence is 5134 bp long and is predicted to encode a 966-amino-acid integral membrane protein with six membrane-spanning domains and intracellular NH2 and COOH termini. Pkd2 is highly conserved with 91% identity and 98% similarity to polycystin-2 at the amino acid level. Pkd2 mRNA is widely expressed in mouse tissues. Pkd2 maps to mouse Chromosome 5 and is excluded as a candidate gene for previously mapped mouse mutations resulting in a polycystic kidney phenotype.     

The elusive professionalism of school psychology: Lessons from the past, portents for the future.

Comments on T. D. Oakland's (see record 1987-13985-001) article on professionalism in school psychology and presents an alternative view through a discussion of the empirical basis of practice and the view of school psychologists as professionals vs technicians. The development of professional standards documents specifically pertaining to school psychology and the more direct involvement of the American Psychological Association in school psychology specifically give a more professional air to the discipline. However, it is asserted that professionalism must be assessed on the basis of the day-to-day behavior of school psychologists. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

CHARACTERIZATION OF HEAVY RESIDUA BY APPLICATION OF A MODIFIED D 2007 AND ASPHALTENE SEPARATION: EFFECT OF SOLVENTS ON PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF FRACTIONS DERIVED FROM HONDO 850°F RESIDOOM

Hondo 850 ^°F residuum was separated into saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene fractions by a modified D 2007 and asphaltene separation. Two different asphaltene precipitation solvents were used — isooctane and heptane — and differences in selected physical and chemical properties of the derived fractions were compared.

The principal difference in the use of the two solvents was weight recovery after the separation. Isooctane yielded good recovery, while heptane exhibited poor recovery. Isooctane precipitated substantially more asphaltenes, as predicted from the solubility parameters of the two solvents.

The metals concentrations in the fractions were comparable for each solvent — no metals in the saturate and aromatic fractions, approximately 300 and 1500 ppm Ni + V in the resin and asphaltene fractions respectively. The relative distribution was also similar for both solvents, with the highest percentage coming from the asphaltenes.     

Quality VoIP — An Engineering Challenge

Initial impressions of VoIP quality have not always been favourable. This paper discusses the issues behind delivering an 'appropriate' quality of service, specifically voice quality, by showing how design choices ultimately affect, and potentially limit, a customer's perception of VoIP quality.The paper continues by introducing new signal processing techniques that are helping to measure and optimise the performance of VoIP solutions.