Farrington Daniels address, 1997 in the service of mankind

In the past 5 years the general attitude towards solar energy has turned from negative to positive. This in itself, however, will not accelerate the introduction of solar energy very much. On the contrary, some of the plans and programs following from it are unrealistic and counter-productive. The better way to go is realism and inspiring the best scientists and politicians to take up the vast amount of R&D work and societal restructuring that has still to be done. Energy has become so vital to mankind that solar energy as a substitute for conventional energy sources will be indispensable for maintaining peace.     

Effect of transfer on droplet size in liquid-liquid dispersions

Mean droplet diameter of the dispersed phase in pulsed plate extraction columns was measured for binary and ternary systems. A change in the droplet size in the presence of solute, dependent on such factors as the direction of mass transfer, droplet size in the binary system, radio of diffusion coefficients, viscosity of the continuous phase, interfacial tension and driving force for extraction was observed. Two new empirical correlations of mean droplet sizes in mass transfer conditions are proposed. These correlations have been successfully applied to other extraction columns.     

Grain size dependent mechanical properties of nanocrystalline diamond films grown by hot-filament CVD

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films with a thickness of ~ 6 µm and average grain sizes ranging from 60 to 9 nm were deposited on silicon wafers using a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) process. These samples were then characterized in order to identify correlations between grain size, chemical composition and mechanical properties. The characterization reveals that our films are phase pure and exhibit a relatively smooth surface morphology. The levels of sp²-bonded carbon and hydrogen impurities are low, showing a systematic variation with the grain size. The hydrogen content increases with decreasing grain size, whereas the sp² carbon content decreases with decreasing grain size. The material is weaker than single crystalline diamond, since both stiffness and hardness decrease with the reduction in crystal size. These trends suggest gradual changes in the nature of the grain boundaries, from graphitic in case of 60 nm grain size material to hydrogen terminated sp³ carbon in 9 nm grain size material. The films exhibit low levels of internal stress and free-standing structures with a length of several centimeters could be fabricated without noticeable bending     

Aquatic suction feeding dynamics: insights from computational modelling

Aquatic suction feeding in vertebrates involves extremely unsteady flow, externally as well as internally of the expanding mouth cavity. Consequently, studying the hydrodynamics involved in this process is a challenging research area, where experimental studies and mathematical models gradually aid our understanding of how suction feeding works mechanically. Especially for flow patterns inside the mouth cavity, our current knowledge is almost entirely based on modelling studies. In the present paper, we critically discuss some of the assumptions and limitations of previous analytical models of suction feeding using computational fluid dynamics.     

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis of Marfan syndrome with the use of fluorescent polymerase chain reaction and the Automated Laser Fluorescence DNA Sequencer

OBJECTIVE: To develop and apply clinical preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for Marfan syndrome. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Centers for medical genetics and reproductive medicine in university hospitals. PATIENT(S): One couple in which the husband was affected with Marfan syndrome. INTERVENTION(S): The couple underwent three intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The correct diagnosis was obtained for embryos in three PGD cycles. RESULT(S): Although all the PGD cycles were followed by ET, no pregnancy ensued. CONCLUSION(S): This assay can provide a reliable and accurate preimplantation diagnosis of Marfan syndrome.     

Impact of high saline wastewaters on anaerobic granular sludge functionalities.

Three UASB reactors were operated at different salinity levels in order to assess the effects on the granular sludge properties. High levels of activity inhibition were observed at sodium concentrations over 7 g Na(+)/L, which resulted in low applicable organic loading rates and VFA accumulation in reactor effluents. However, either sludge adaptation or selection for saline resistant microorganisms occurred, which could be concluded from the observed increase in the 50% activity inhibitory concentrations of sodium during continuous flow experiments. Changes in Na(+) susceptibility in time are likely to be expected when treating saline wastewaters. The latter was evidenced by the high sodium tolerance of granular methanogenic sludge coming from a full-scale industrial reactor treating such wastewater. High salinity conditions resulted in a reduced granule strength, predicting process instabilities during long term reactor operation. Batch tests showed that high sodium concentrations seemed to displace the calcium from the granular sludge, a factor known to affect anaerobic granules formation.