Experimental investigations of long stick wood gasification in a bottom lit updraft fixed bed gasifier

Based on the experience of the gasifier users on the efforts and energy for wood chip preparation in a typical gasifier, we have embarked on the development of a gasifier suitable to work with long stick woody biomass as the feed materials. In the context of the impact of gasifiers, as decentralized energy delivery devices such an approach, it is hoped, would be an attractive option in rural areas both in domestic and industrial sectors. In the present paper in the gasifier operation, there is a fixed quantity of char that is combusted to gasify a fixed amount of wood, and the gasifier does not operate in a steady state manner. In this present work, focus is made on the development of a gasifier using long sticks of wood as feed materials. With this concept, a 10 kW thermal output power gasifier is designed and constructed. The gas and airflows can be converted to the air/fuel ratio, the most important aspect of gasifier operation. The air/fuel ratio shows operation in a combustion mode at start up, a gasification mode for the middle part of the run and a charcoal gasification mode at the end of the run. Since the interest here is exploring and validating of this concept, a bottom lit updraft gasifier is designed mainly to look at the gas yield and other favourable factors and to use this gas so obtained for thermal applications. The rate of feed was between 9 and 10 kg/h and continuous operation for 5 h was made in a couple of runs to study the performance. In this paper we report the salient features of our efforts and results, yielding a gasifier efficiency of 73%.     

Early intervention for spelling problems: Teaching functional spelling units of varying size with a multiple-connections framework.

Poor spellers in 2nd grade (n?=?128) participated in 24 20-min sessions that included (a) direct instruction in the alphabet principle (most frequent phoneme-spelling connections); (b) modeling of different approaches, singly and in combination, for developing connections between spoken and written words for 48 words ordered by sound-spelling predictability; and (c) practice in composing. Results of this multilayered intervention showed that (a) more than 1 way of developing sound-spelling connections is effective in teaching spelling but that after training in the alphabet principle, combining whole word and onset-rime training is most effective in achieving transfer of the alphabet principle across word contexts; (b) functional spelling units of not only a single letter but also 2 or more letters are important in beginning spelling; and (c) training in spelling transfers to composition and word recognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Monolithically integrated SQW laser and HBT laser driver viaselective OMVPE regrowth

An AlGaAs/GaAs nan heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) laser driver circuit and a pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs graded index single-quantum-well (SQW) laser have been laterally integrated to maintain surface planarity using selective organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy (OMVPE) regrowth of the HBT. The self-aligned HBTs exhibit a DC current gain of 30 and an f_t (f_max ) of 45(60) GHz. The 980-nm lasers exhibit room-temperature threshold current densities as low as 420(320) A/cm² for CW (pulsed) operation. The cavities are 40(7) μm×500 μm and have less than 1(2) Ω of series resistance. SPICE simulations of the integrated driver indicate that operating speeds of over 10 Gb/s are possible     

Pitfalls and complications of esophageal prosthesis, laser therapy, and dilation

Although often diagnosed and treated by gastroenterologists, thoracic surgeons should be skilled partners in the management of esophageal obstruction. Knowledge of pitfalls and complications of any procedure is a prerequisite to success. This article focuses on problems encountered in dilatation, laser ablation, and stenting of esophageal strictures. Dilatation of both benign and malignant strictures requires knowledge of the different types of dilators and the ability to adapt to different stricture characteristics. Although lower morbidity makes laser ablation of malignant obstruction attractive, this author finds its use to be restrictive. The advent of expandable metal stents offers the potential for fewer early complications when compared with plastic protheses but, as discussed, morbidity may be different rather than less.     

Nitric oxide prevents human platelet adhesion to fiber membranes in whole blood

During cardiopulmonary bypass or long-term extracorporeal life support, foreign surface induced platelet deposition in the oxygenator causes deterioration of gas exchange. In this study, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of nitric oxide (NO) in reducing the adhesion of platelets in whole blood to the surface of hollow fiber membranes. For this purpose, a test chamber was designed consisting of a gas exchanger with ten mitsubishi multi-layered composite hollow fibers (MHF: 257 mm OD; 203 mm ID; 70 mm length) and a polypropylene tube (16 mm OD; 100 mm length). Pure N2 (control) or nitric oxide (NO) (100 ppm, 200 ppm in N2) were delivered into the test chamber previously filled with 13 ml human whole blood. Platelet counts and platelet factor 4 (PF4), as a measure of platelet activation, were measured before and after either 1 or 2 hr of testing, and fibers were observed under scanning electron microscopic study (SEM) after each experiment. In the control and 100 ppm NO groups, platelet counts decreased and the level of PF4 increased during the 1 hr period. In the 200 ppm NO group, almost no platelet deposition could be observed on the surface of fibers under SEM. In conclusion, NO flow through hollow fiber membranes can markedly reduce platelet adhesion. Additional quantitative studies should define the optimal concentration for this effect and determine if this finding could improve oxygenator function, especially under conditions of long-term support.     

Biochemical properties and cellular localization of the Drosophila DG1 cGMP-dependent protein kinase

The protein encoded by the Drosophila cGMP-dependent protein kinase gene, DG1, was expressed in Sf9 cells. cGMP (10 microM) stimulated histone H2B phosphorylation by the DG1 protein kinase 20-fold. Maximal activity was observed at 40-50 mM Mg2+. The concentrations of cGMP, cAMP, cIMP, 8-bromo-cGMP, and 8-bromo-cAMP that gave 50% activation were 0.19 +/- 0.06, 11.7 +/- 2.8, 5.3 +/- 1.5, 0.04 +/- 0. 01, and 0.62 +/- 0.06 microM, respectively. cGMP activation was cooperative with a Hill coefficient (nH) of 1.28 +/- 0.10, whereas activation by cAMP was not cooperative. DG1 kinase expressed in Sf9 cells was found to be a dimer with an amino-terminal dimerization domain. It also autophosphorylated in a reaction stimulated by cGMP and cAMP. Immunoadsorbed DG1 protein from fly extracts was also capable of autophosphorylation, and this assay was used to quantitate the DG1 kinase in extracts from heads and bodies of adults and whole embryos. Activity was highest in heads of either sex and male bodies, intermediate in female bodies, and lowest in embryos. These results were in accord with DG1 mRNA abundance. Tissue distribution of the DG1 kinase was investigated by immunohistochemistry. In embryos, specific immunoreactivity was observed in large cells scattered along the anterior-posterior axis at stage 13. Prominent staining of adult heads was restricted to the proximal level of the lamina cortex.     

Hand, space and attentional asymmetries in goal-directed manual aiming

Two experiments were conducted to explore the interaction of the two cerebral hemispheres in motor control, by examining hand, space and attentional asymmetries in goal-directed aiming. In Experiment 1, right-handed subjects moved to targets more quickly with their right hand than their left hand. In addition, each hand was faster when moving in its own hemispace. Although in a control condition, movements were initiated more quickly with the left hand, visual distractors disrupted left hand performance more than right hand performance. For contralateral aiming, ipsilateral distractors caused the greatest interference. In Experiment 2, when targets and distractors were all presented at the midline, a right hand advantage was found for movement time along with a left hand advantage for reaction time, independent of target and distractor location. Our findings are discussed in terms of a right hemisphere role in movement preparation and the allocation of attention in space, and greater left hemisphere involvement in movement execution.     

The effect of electrical stunning and slaughter on the electroencephalogram of sheep and calves

To study the application of electroencephalography (EEG) for the assessment of insensibility during stunning and slaughter, recordings were made on sheep that were slaughtered by throat cutting, electrically stunned head-only and allowed to recover, electrically stunned head-only followed by throat cutting or electrically stunned head-to-back. The same experiments were repeated on calves (1–6 weeks old) except some calves were stunned and allowed to recover before final stunning and throat cutting.

After the throat cut, sheep became insensible (i.e. EEG < 10 μV) at 8–22 s but the calf EEG did not fall below 10 μV until 79 s after the cut. With head-only stunning/recovery, high-amplitude EEG waves (electroplectic fit) continued for 47 s (sheep) and 33 s (calves) post stun. A quiescent period followed, which then developed into a period of moderate-amplitude EEG signals, so that, at 50 s post stun, the EEG usually exceeded 50 μV and often had bursts of 150 μV activity. After head-only stunning/throat cutting, the electroplectic fit was shortened (39 s in sheep, 23 s in calves) and the EEG took at least 50 s to fall below 10 μV. With sheep stunned head-to-back, which stops the heart, and thus should cause immediate, permanent insensibility, the EEG took longer to fall below 10 μV (52 s) than after throat cutting. These results suggest that electrical stunning of sheep and calves causes a prolonged increase in the post-stun EEG amplitude. Therefore, during slaughter, stunned animals have larger amplitude EEG signals than unstunned animals, and EEG criteria developed for judging the sensibility of unstunned animals cannot be used for those that are electrically stunned.     

Lack of evidence of cytoplasmic inheritance in milk production traits of dairy cattle

Heritability estimates, by year of freshening of daughter, were obtained from daughter-dam and granddaughter-granddam regressions using 61,482 triply matched first lactations of artificially sired Holstein cows obtained from the Northeast Dairy Records Processing Laboratory. After adjusting for herd-year-season effects, residual effects may include additive and other genetic effects of the animal, maternal effects, cytoplasmic effects, and other environmental effects. Analysis of residuals showed that cytoplasmic effects accounted for no variation in milk and fat yield and fat percent. Weighted yearly heritability estimates and standard errors from daughter on dam regressions were .35 +/- .01 for milk yield, .30 +/- .01 for milk fat yield, and .63 +/- .01 for milk fat percent and from daughter on granddam regressions were .34 +/- .03 for milk production, .28 +/- .03 for milk fat production, and .55 +/- .03 for milk fat percent. The differences between daughter-dam and daughter-granddam heritability estimates, which estimate twice the fraction of variance due to cytoplasmic effects, were negative and not statistically significant for milk fat yield and also were negative but highly significant for milk fat percent.     

Methylmalonic aciduria in pregnancy: a case report

Methylmalonic aciduria is a rare metabolic disorder of amino acid metabolism that is characterized by accumulation of large amounts of methylmalonic acid in the blood and urine. To our knowledge this is the first case report of a patient with methylmalonic aciduria who carried a pregnancy to term; the outcome was favorable despite high levels of methylmalonic acid in the serum and urine.