In-vessel composting for utilizing of municipal sewage-sludge

The amount of sludge generated from wastewater treatment plants has been increasing year-by-year as the sewerage service area expanded. The composting process is considered to be one of the best management methods to stabilize different organic wastes. The main goal of this investigation was to find the optimal ratio of the quantity of the organic waste to the quantity of the sewage sludge. The process of composting was carried out in the Horstmann bioreactor (pilot scale) for 2–3 weeks and then in a compost pile for 6–12 weeks. Seven experiments were performed, with different ratios of the quantity of organic wastes to the quantity of sewage sludge. The results enabled an estimation of the quality of compost and its usefulness and also the usefulness of the bioreactor to be deduced.     

Hydrogen-bonded diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) pigments as organic semiconductors

Diketopyrrolopyrroles (DPPs) have recently gained attention as building-blocks for organic semiconducting polymers and small molecules, however the semiconducting properties of their hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) pigment forms have not been explored. Herein we report on the performance of three archetypical H-bonded DPP pigments, which show ambipolar carrier mobilities in the range 0.01–0.06 cm²/V s in organic field-effect transistors. Their semiconducting properties are correlated with crystal structure, where an H-bonded crystal lattice supports close and relatively cofacial π–π stacking. To better understand transport in these systems, density functional theory calculations were carried out, indicating theoretical maximum ambipolar mobility values of ∼0.3 cm²/V s. Based on these experimental and theoretical results, H-bonded DPPs represent a viable alternative to more established DPP-containing polymers and small molecules where H-bonding is blocked by N-alkylation.     

Porous ion-exchange membranes, 2. Effect of adhesion promoters

The previously described preparation of porous ion-exchange membranes (PIEM's) from the ternary blends of polyethylene interpolymer with poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) and polypropylene and calcium carbonate filler has been supplemented with the use of stearic acid and dibutyl phthalate as adhesion promoters. It was noted that both promoters govern the huge increase of pore diameter without any significant disturbances in the other PIEM's properties. The facilitating effect of chlorosulfonic acid diffusion toward calcium carbonate grains and large amounts of carbon dioxide volatilization was concluded. This is the basic point of pore creation to be discussed in this paper.     

Regulation in polish telecommunications: Commitment, incentives, and outcomes

The recent worldwide trend of deregulating monopolies along with a surge of privatization necessitates considering the impact of various regulatory strategies. This paper focuses on sector regulatory models and their relevance to economies in transition. The purpose of the inquiry is to examine the regulatory framework of telecommunications utilities and explore the implications for policy. The regulation is found to be most effective when the regulators institute mechanisms which encourage the firm to employ the mix of incentives and competitive pricing signals and a commitment mechanism, so as to foster both the interests of the firm and those of the consumer.     

The electrophysiology of prefrontal serotonin systems: therapeutic implications for mood and psychosis

A newly described synaptic action of serotonin (5-HT) in the cerebral cortex is reviewed, and implications for mood and psychosis are discussed. Recordings in brain slices show that 5-HT induces a rapid increase in excitatory postsynaptic potentials/currents (EPSPs/EPSCs) in virtually all layer V pyramidal cells of neocortex. This effect is mediated by the 5-HT2A receptor, which has been linked to the action of hallucinogenic and atypical antipsychotic drugs. The increase in EPSCs is seen most prominently in medial prefrontal cortex and other frontal regions where 5-HT2A receptors are enriched. The induction of EPSCs by 5-HT appears to occur through a novel mechanism that does not depend on the activation of afferent impulse flow. Instead, 5-HT appears to act presynaptically, directly or indirectly, to induce a focal release of glutamate from a subpopulation of glutamatergic terminals impinging upon the apical (but not basilar) dendrites of layer V pyramidal cells; a working hypothesis of the transduction pathway (involving asynchronous transmitter release) for this process is presented. Consistent with a focal action upon glutamatergic nerve terminals, the 5-HT-induced EPSPs can be suppressed by presynaptic inhibitory modulators such as mu-opiate or group II/III metabotropic agonists. We suggest that the suppression of 5-HT-induced EPSCs by 5-HT2A antagonists and mu-opiate agonists may underlie certain shared clinical effects of 5-HT2A antagonists and mu-opiate agonists. We suggest further that since presynaptic group II/III metabotropic glutamate agonists suppress 5-HT-induced EPSCs, metabotropic glutamate agonists may also possess antidepressant and/or antipsychotic properties.     

Bang-bang Controls and Piecewise Constant ones for Continuous Roesser Systems

In the paper, we prove the bang-bang principle for a continuous linear nonautonomous Roesser system and some approximation result (with respect to piecewise constant controls) for a continuous nonautonomous Roesser system which is linear in the state and nonlinear in the control. Published online: April 2006 The preparation of this paper was supported by the State Committee for Scientific Research, Poland, under Grant 7 T11A 004 21     

Mass Transfer in the Celery Slice: Effects of Temperature, Moisture Content, and Density on Water Diffusivity

Statistical tests were applied to determine the effects of temperature, moisture content, density, and porosity of material on the effective moisture diffusion coefficient during convective drying of root celery. In biological materials with colloidal capillary-porous structure (like root celery), which shrink considerably during drying and show high heterogeneity, the effective water diffusion coefficient depends not only on material temperature and moisture content, but also on its density. It was found that statistical tests can be applied to predict which independent variables should describe the water diffusivity in colloidal capillary-porous materials. A mathematical model of the effective water diffusion coefficient in root celery was formulated as Arhenius-type equation with moisture content of the raw material, its temperature and density as independent variables.     

Evolutionary Approach to Quantum and Reversible Circuits Synthesis

The paper discusses theevolutionary computation approach to theproblem of optimal synthesis of Quantum andReversible Logic circuits. Our approach usesstandard Genetic Algorithm (GA) and itsrelative power as compared to previousapproaches comes from the encoding and theformulation of the cost and fitness functionsfor quantum circuits synthesis. We analyze newoperators and their role in synthesis andoptimization processes. Cost and fitnessfunctions for Reversible Circuit synthesis areintroduced as well as local optimizingtransformations. It is also shown that ourapproach can be used alternatively forsynthesis of either reversible or quantumcircuits without a major change in thealgorithm. Results are illustrated onsynthesized Margolus, Toffoli, Fredkin andother gates and Entanglement Circuits. This isfor the first time that several variants ofthese gates have been automatically synthesizedfrom quantum primitives.