Mass-Balance Model of Pulmonary Oxygen Transport

A dynamic lumped-parameter model for pulmonary gas transport has been developed to characterize the lung and predict the effect of various parameter changes. The gas side of the lung is modeled as a series and parallel arrangement of five perfectly mixed, variable-volume compartments that correspond roughly to airway and alveolar regions. The blood side of the lung is modeled as a series of perfectly mixed, constant-volume compartments that represent the pulmonary capillary bed. From nonsteady mass balances, equations are derived which yield the time course of concentration for each compartment. Model simulations indicate that the oxygen-hemoglobin reaction does not reach equilibrium in the pulmonary capillaries, an assumption commonly made in analyses of pulmonary oxygen transport. Simulations also show the extent to which breathing amplitude and rate can affect the oxygen level in the blood leaving the lung. A comparison of simulations for a normal state and chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) with identical input conditions demonstrates that the oxygen level in the blood leaving the lung is much lower in COLD. Also, the simulations are compared with experimental findings.     

Textile Applications of Adjustable-Frequency Drives with Digital Ratio Control

The application of digital techniques to program and to process the input signals to adjustable-frequency inverters for the control of rugged ac motors is becoming widespread. It was perhaps inevitable that digital signal control would eventually be combined with the inherently digital adjustable-frequency power inverter to produce systems having high overall line speed accuracy, adjustable ``digital gearing' between sections, locked-in-step acceleration from creep to run speed, and in-train digital jogging. A short introduction to adjustable-frequency motor control is given, and the use of digital techniques for controlling adjustable-frequency inverters to produce digital speed systems is described. Early applications of the first solid-state inverters to synthetic fiber spinning and their continued use is described. Specific current applications of digitally controlled adjustable-frequency speed systems are discussed, and potential applications that demonstrate how the capabilities of such systems can be used to provide economic solutions to many textile industry drive problems are reviewed.     

Environmental Control Symposium

MAN is but a part of the universe; his capabilities make him a significant link, in the cycle of life. To ensure this life, man must live in harmony with his environment. Recently, a disharmony has been discovered which could have grave effects upon the existence of man. It appears that man in his great thrust forward is destroying his own environment. The gravity of this threat to man's own existence carries some intrinsic problems of its own: man must allow his reason rather than his emotion to take command.     

A farm level approach to define successful mitigation strategies for GHG emissions from ruminant livestock systems

Ruminant livestock systems are a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Thus far, mitigation options for GHG emissions mainly focused on a single gas, and are treated as isolated activities. The present paper proposes a framework for a farm level approach for the full accounting of GHG emissions. The methodology accounts for the relevant direct and indirect emissions of methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide, including carbon sequestration. Furthermore, the potential trade-off with ammonia volatilisation and nitrate leaching are taken into account. A ruminant livestock farm is represented with a conceptual model consisting of five pools: animal, manure, soil, crop and feed. The carbon and nitrogen inputs, throughputs and outputs are described, and the direct emissions are related to the carbon and nitrogen flows. The indirect emissions included in the methodology are mainly carbon dioxide emissions from energy use and nitrous oxide emissions related to imported resources and nitrogen losses. The whole farm approach is illustrated with a case of two dairy farms with contrasting livestock density and grassland management. It is shown that the inclusion of carbon sequestration and all indirect emissions have a major impact on the GHG budget of the farm. For one farm, the effect of four mitigation options on the GHG emissions was quantified. It was concluded that a whole farm approach of full accounting contributes to a better insight in the interactions between the carbon and nitrogen flows and the resulting emissions, within and outside the farm boundaries. Consequently, the methodology can be used to develop efficient and effective mitigation strategies.     

The Structure of the Irreversibly Bound Adhesion Promoter-Substrate Interfacial Layer of γ-Aminopropylsilanetriol on Crystalline Si, as Measured by XPS and FTIR

The irreversibly bound interfacial layer deposited by the γ-aminopropysilanetriol adhesion promoter onto a crystalline silicon substrate, which remains even after profuse washing, was found by XPS to have resulted from the fragmentation and rearrangement of the original γ-aminopropylsilanetriol molecule. A mechanism is proposed, involving the homolytic scission of the terminal N-C bond. One of the subsequent reactions is believed to involve hydrogen loss by abstraction and the formation of a terminal vinyl group, which bonds to the substrate. Support for this mechanism is found in IR spectroscopy of this layer.     

Simulation of nitrogen dynamics and biomass production in winter wheat using the Danish simulation model DAISY

A dynamic simulation model for the soil plant system is described. The model includes a number of main modules, viz., a hydrological model including a submodel for soil water dynamics, a soil temperature model, a soil nitrogen model including a submodel for soil organic matter dynamics, and a crop model including a submodel for nitrogen uptake. The soil part of the model has a one-dimensional vertical structure. The soil profile is divided into layers on the basis of physical and chemical soil characteristics. The simulation model was used to simulate soil nitrogen dynamics and biomass production in winter wheat grown at two locations at various levels of nitrogen fertilization. The simulated results were compared to experimental data including concentration of inorganic nitrogen in soil, crop yield, and nitrogen accumulated in the aboveground part of the crop. Based on this validation it is concluded that the overall performance of the model is satisfactory although some minor adjustments of the model may prove to be necessary.     

Fine Annealing of Optical Glass

Since the most important characteristic of optical glass is the uniformity of its refractive index, which is itself a function of fictive temperature, any fine annealing treatment must be such as to bring about substantial uniformity in fictive temperature. Methods of accomplishing this are reviewed. In terms of total required time in the annealing process, the most efficient method consists of soaking the glass for a short time at a temperature near the annealing point and cooling at a constant rate to a temperature below the annealing range and at an increased rate to room temperature. Formulas are given for specifying the parameters in the annealing schedule in terms of the final condition of the glass as to stress and index. The several outstanding advantages of this method of annealing are discussed.     

Longitudinal mixing in the dispersed phase in pulsed perforated-plate columns

A method is presented to identify flow model parameters from radioactive signals with a high noise content. The method is based on the two detection points method with a highly accurate identification of the parameters by optimization in the frequency domain. The study of dispersed phase of a pulsed column with perforated plate using this method has shown evidence that there are operating conditions for which the piston-diffusion flow does not describe well the behavior of the dispersed phase.