Influence of ring-type internals on the solids residence time distribution in the fuel reactor of a dual circulating fluidized bed system for chemical looping combustion

The intensification of gas-solids contact in the fuel reactor of a chemical looping combustion system is enhanced with the installation of ring-type internals. This can be a key issue for achieving the necessary fuel conversion rates. Wedged rings, previously designed and tested, were found to increase the particle concentration in the counter current section of the fuel reactor and hence, to achieve a more homogeneous particles concentration along this zone. The present work investigates the effect of the mentioned internals on the residence time distribution of particles in the fuel reactor of a dual circulating fluidized bed system for chemical looping. The study was carried out in a cold flow model especially designed for the fluid-dynamic analysis of the system equipped with a recently developed residence time measurement device based on the detection of ferromagnetic tracer particles through inductance measurement. Ring internals proved the positive effect on the particles residence time, the residence time distribution is more symmetric and shows lower dispersion, the flow pattern is more plug-flow-like, these effects are intensified with the reduction of the aperture ratio of the rings. On the other hand, the upward particle transport in the counter-current zone of the fuel reactor also increases with the installation of the rings, increasing the bypass flow of solids through the fuel reactor's return loop (internal circulation). For high internal circulation rates the solids residence time distribution of the fuel reactor is dominated by the bypass effect. The findings may be used for focused design improvement of the investigated fluidized bed system.     

Usability evaluation methods for mobile serious games applied to health: a systematic review

Universal Access in the Information Society - This paper aims to present the results of a systematic review focused on usability evaluation methods for serious games (SG) of mobile devices...     

Synthetic Modular Antibody Construction by Using the SpyTag/SpyCatcher Protein-Ligase System

Efforts to engineer recombinant antibodies for specific diagnostic and therapy applications are time consuming and expensive, as each new recombinant antibody needs to be optimized for expression, stability, bio-distribution, and pharmacokinetics. We have developed a new way to construct recombinant antibody-like “devices” by using a bottom-up approach to build them from well-behaved discrete recombinant antibody domains or “parts”. Studies on antibody structure and function have identified antibody constant and variable domains with specific functions that can be expressed in isolation. We used the SpyTag/SpyCatcher protein ligase to join these parts together, thereby creating devices with desired properties based on summed properties of parts and in configurations that cannot be obtained by using genetic engineering. This strategy will create optimized recombinant antibody devices at reduced costs and with shortened development times.     

Metabolomics of Genetically Modified Crops

Metabolomic-based approaches are increasingly applied to analyse genetically modified organisms (GMOs) making it possible to obtain broader and deeper information on the composition of GMOs compared to that obtained from traditional analytical approaches. The combination in metabolomics of advanced analytical methods and bioinformatics tools provides wide chemical compositional data that contributes to corroborate (or not) the substantial equivalence and occurrence of unintended changes resulting from genetic transformation. This review provides insight into recent progress in metabolomics studies on transgenic crops focusing mainly in papers published in the last decade.     

Financialization and the subprime subject: the experiences of homeowners during California’s housing boom

This paper extends scholarship on the ‘everyday practices’ of global finance by specifically examining the decisions, motivations, and financial practices of homeowners caught up in the subprime lending boom in California. Drawing on evidence from 80 in-depth interviews in Oakland and Stockton, the paper explores how homeowners enacted their own subject positions within the financial ecologies of subprime markets. The research enriches and complicates our understanding of the interplay between financialization and the formation of financial subjects, and highlights how race and class, affective ties, and distinct socio-spatial relations shape and inform borrowers’ financial decisions and practices, even during a period of excessive credit access and house price speculation.     

Modification of appetite by bread consumption: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

The inclusion of different ingredients or the use of different baking technologies may modify the satiety response to bread, and aid in the control of food intake. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic search of randomized clinical trials on the effect of bread consumption on appetite ratings in humans. The search equation was (“Bread”[MeSH]) AND (“Satiation”[MeSH] OR “Satiety response”[MeSH]), and the filter “clinical trials.” As a result of this procedure, 37 publications were selected. The satiety response was considered as the primary outcome. The studies were classified as follows: breads differing in their flour composition, breads differing in ingredients other than flours, breads with added organic acids, or breads made using different baking technologies. In addition, we have revised the data related to the influence of bread on glycemic index, insulinemic index and postprandial gastrointestinal hormones responses. The inclusion of appropriate ingredients such as fiber, proteins, legumes, seaweeds and acids into breads and the use of specific technologies may result in the development of healthier breads that increase satiety and satiation, which may aid in the control of weight gain and benefit postprandial glycemia. However, more well-designed randomized control trials are required to reach final conclusions.     

Switching in Time-Optimal Problem: the 3D Case with 2D Control

We study local structure of time-optimal controls and trajectories for a 3D control-affine system with a 2D control parameter with values in the disk. In particular, we give sufficient conditions, in terms of Lie bracket relations, for optimal controls to be smooth or to have only isolated jump discontinuities.     

Are Trademark Counts a Valid Indicator of Innovation? Results of an In-Depth Study of New Benelux Trademarks Filed by SMEs

This paper extends the emerging literature on the value of trademarks for innovation studies and policy-making with the first empirical study at the trademark level. It gives a view on how companies use trademarks and interpret trademark activities. A sample of 660 new Benelux trademarks registered by small- and medium-sized enterprises reveals that 60 per cent of recently registered Benelux trademarks refer to innovation activity, predominantly to product or service innovation. The reference to innovation co-varies with various applicant and trademark characteristics unknown from previous studies. Finally, the sample reveals that most of the trademarks used to signal innovative offers are filed close to its market introduction without combining them with other intellectual property rights. This holds especially for trademarks related to service innovation.