Decomposition of nitric oxide and its reduction by CO over superconducting and related cuprate catalysts

Catalytic activities of five non-conducting and three superconducting cuprates were measured for the decomposition of NO and the reduction of NO by CO. The concentration of the reactants and the space velocities approximate the conditions of automotive catalysts. In contrast to earlier results, obtained at 20 to 30 times higher partial pressures of NO and 20 to 100 times lower space velocities, none of the catalysts, including five perovskite-like cuprates, showed significant activity for the decomposition of NO at reaction temperatures up to 700 °C. All catalysts were fairly active for the reduction of NO. At temperatures above about 400 °C on the perovskite-like cuprates YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x and Ba₂CuO_3.5-x , the rates for NO reduction were higher than on CuO. All catalysts lost activity for NO reduction in the presence of oxygen (oxidizing conditions).     

The "worth" of routine spirometry in a cystic fibrosis clinic

The effects of Rivastigmine, a novel centrally-acting anticholinesterase agent, were evaluated on cerebral edema, neurological and motor deficits, and impairment of spatial memory induced in mice by closed-head injury (CHI). Severe injury was induced in the left hemisphere of mice under ether anesthesia. Rivastigmine (1 or 2 mg/kg) or saline (10 ml/kg) was injected SC 5 min later. Rivastigmine (2 mg/kg) reduced cerebral edema by at least 50% (p < 0.01), 24 h after CHI and accelerated the recovery of motor function 7 and 14 days after CHI. Control mice (n = 24), previously trained to find the goal platform in a Morris water maze failed to recall or relearn its position for at least 11 days post-injury. Those given a single injection of Rivastigmine (2 mg/kg) regained their pre-test latencies by the third day after CHI. The neuroprotective effects of Rivastigmine on brain edema, neurological and motor function, and performance in the Morris water maze were completely antagonized by simultaneous SC injection of either scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg) or mecamylamine (2.5 mg/kg). The antagonists alone had no significant effect on any of these parameters. These data show that the reduction by Rivastigmine of the immediate and long-term sequelae of brain injury are mediated by increased cholinergic activity at both muscarinic and nicotinic receptors.     

Percussion hole drilling of metals with a fourth-harmonic Nd:YAG laser studied by defocused laser speckle correlation

Defocused speckle correlation is introduced as a tool for measuring the response in metal sheets during percussion laser drilling. For this procedure the fourth-harmonic Nd:YAG wavelength (266 nm) was used in pulsed mode. The method provides a cost-efficient and robust alternative to speckle interferometry for the study of the small deformations that appear during laser processing. The accuracy was shown to be of the order of a few tens of microradians for the tilt component that is measured, which translates to a few nanometers in deflection when the component is spatially integrated. In the measurements, deflections in the form of craters as large as 50 nm were detected on the back sides of silver and copper sheets. The diameters of the craters were 300 microm in the silver and 150 microm in the copper sheet; the output diameter of the hole was -5 microm.     

Characterization of electronic displays using CMOS single‐photon avalanche diode image sensors

Advanced complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor‐compatible single‐photon avalanche diode array technology is progressing rapidly and is being deployed in a wide range of applications. We report for the first time the use of a complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor‐compatible single‐photon avalanche diode array to perform detailed optical measurements on pixels of an organic light‐emitting diode microdisplay at very high sampling rate, very low light level, and over a very wide dynamic range of luminance. This offers a clear demonstration of the huge potential of this single‐photon avalanche diode technology to reveal hitherto obscure details of the optical characteristics of individual and groups of organic light‐emitting diode pixels.     

Reduction of NO by H2 and CO on PdO-MoO3/γ-Al2O3 of low molybdena loading

The activity and selectivity in the catalytic reduction of NO by a mixture of CO and H₂ of three PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ catalysts are compared in the presence of varying amounts of oxygen at reaction temperatures from 100 to 550°C. The catalysts were prepared by different methods and contain about 2% Mo and 2% Pd. Results are compared with those for PdO/-Al₂O₃, PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ containing 2% Pd and 20% Mo, and a commercial Pt-Rh catalyst. The PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ catalysts are more active for the selective reduction of NO to N₂ and N₂O than PdO/-Al₂O₃ under slightly oxidizing conditions at temperatures from 300 to 550°C. At these reaction conditions, the fresh PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ catalysts are comparable with a commercial Pt-Rh catalyst. The improved activity of PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ relative to PdO/-Al₂O₃ is believed to be due to the interaction between Pd and Mo. The effect of O₂ on the activity and selectivity of these catalysts is different in the reduction of NO by H₂, by CO, and by a mixture of H₂ and CO. The results using the mixture of reductants cannot be inferred from the results with the single reductants.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Immunological Evaluation of Self‐Adjuvanting Group A Streptococcal Vaccine Candidates Bearing Various Lipidic Adjuvanting Moieties

Four group A streptococcal glycolipopeptide vaccine candidates with different lipidic adjuvanting moieties were prepared and characterized. The immunogenicity of the compounds was evaluated by macrophage and dendritic cell uptake studies and by in vivo quantification of systemic IgG antibody by ELISA. Three of the candidates showed significant induction of the IgG response.     

Selectivity-determining role of C3H8/NO ratio in the reduction of nitric oxide by propane in presence of oxygen over ZSM5 zeolites

The reaction of (NO + C₃H₈ + O₂) can result in selective formation of NO₂ over H-ZSM5, Cu,H-ZSM5, Ag,H-ZSM5, and Li,H-ZSM5 catalysts when the concentrations of NO and O₂ are 0.1 and 9%, SV > 60,000 h⁻¹ (typical for automotive exhausts), and C₃H₈/NO > 1. Despite stoichiometric excess of reductant hydrocarbon below this limit, the in situ formed NO₂ does not react with C₃H₈, thus conversion of NO to N₂ is negligible. NO can be reduced by C₃H₈ selectively to N₂ only when C₃H₈/NO ≧ 1. Contrary to many suggestions the reaction temperature, concentration of oxygen, space velocity, and type of exchange ions have minor influence on the selectivity for N₂. These parameters affect the rates of reactions (NO + ₂), (C₃H₈ + NO_x) and (C₃H₈ + O₂), therefore they also affect the production of N₂ in the HC-SCR process, but only when the ratio of C₃H₈/NO permits. The metal-exchanged zeolites were prepared in situ by solid-state ion exchange from H-ZSM5. Despite the low degree of copper exchange (63%), Cu,H-ZSM5 produces substantially more N₂ than H-ZSM5, Ag,H-ZSM5, or Li,H-ZSM5. However, the selectivity for N₂ is lowest over Cu,H-ZSM5, which also produces considerable NO₂ in the reaction of (NO + C₃H₈ + O₂) even at C₃H₈/NO ≧ 1. Contrary to prior findings, the catalytic activity of Cu,H-ZSM5 for the oxidation of NO by O₂ to NO₂ in absence of hydrocarbon was comparable to that of H-ZSM5 at high space velocities (2.3 l g⁻¹ min⁻¹). By replacing 30 and 40% of the protons of H-ZSM5 by Ag⁺ and Li⁺ ions in Ag,H-ZSM5 and Li,H-ZSM5, respectively, the catalytic activity for this reaction becomes negligible at temperatures ≧100°C. Some mechanistic consequences of these experimental observations are discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A TinyOS-enabled MICA2-based wireless neural interface

Existing approaches used to develop compact low-power multichannel wireless neural recording systems range from creating custom-integrated circuits to assembling commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) PC-based components. Custom-integrated-circuit designs yield extremely compact and low-power devices at the expense of high development and upgrade costs and turn-around times, while assembling COTS-PC-technology yields high performance at the expense of large system size and increased power consumption. To achieve a balance between implementing an ultra-compact custom-fabricated neural transceiver and assembling COTS-PC-technology, an overlay of a neural interface upon the TinyOS-based MICA2 platform is described. The system amplifies, digitally encodes, and transmits neural signals real-time at a rate of 9.6 kbps, while consuming less than 66 mW of power. The neural signals are received and forwarded to a client PC over a serial connection. This data rate can be divided for recording on up to 6 channels, with a resolution of 8 bits/sample. This work demonstrates the strengths and limitations of the TinyOS-based sensor technology as a foundation for chronic remote biological monitoring applications and, thus, provides an opportunity to create a system that can leverage from the frequent networking and communications advancements being made by the global TinyOS-development community.     

Grain velocity distribution in a mixed flow dryer

For corn drying one of the most popular possibilities in Europe is to use a mixed flow dryer. Large differences in the vertical grain particle velocity in this type of dryers are causing differences in the residence time. Hence, uneven drying occurs causing under-drying or over-drying of grain portions. To investigate the influences of the dryer walls and the air ducts on the particle velocity distribution experiments have been carried out in industrial and laboratory sized dryers and the measurements were compared with discrete element models. The particle flow velocity distribution between the air ducts is modelled analytically based on arching hypothesis. Using discrete element models the effects of different possible constructional modifications causing more even vertical grain particle velocity distribution were analyzed.