LIQUID PHASE TRANSPORT PROPERTIES IN A HIGH PRESSURE PACKED COLUMN

A mathematical model of fluid flow and mass transfer in a packed bed was derived and used to evaluate the liquid phase axial dispersion and mass transfer coefficients under high pressure conditions. The least-squares method was used to evaluate the rate parameters from experimental breakthrough curves, and the agreement between the concentration curves predicted from rate parameters and those measured experimentally was good. Experiments were performed at 20 and 200°C with water as a solvent and nonporous soda-lime glass beads as packing. Although the axial dispersion coefficient was independent of temperature and pressure, the mass transport parameters were found to be pressure dependent.     

The potentiometric behaviour of copolymers of methacrylic acid in water-ethanol solutions

Summary The synthesis is reported of copolymers of styrene with methacrylic acid and of methyl methacrylate with methacrylic acid by radical copolymerization, of copolymers of methyl methacrylate with methacrylic acid by partial alkaline hydrolysis of poly(methyl methacrylate), and of block copolymers of styrene with methacrylic acid. Modified titration curves of all these copolymers were recorded in water and water-ethanol solutions. In a solution containing 50 mass.% ethanol, only small differences could be observed between the potentiometric behaviour of the individual copolymers and polymethacrylic acid. Also, there were no essential differences in any of the solvents used between the potentiometric behaviour of block copolymers of styrene with methacrylic acid, on the one hand, and polymethacrylic acid, on the other. On the contrary, maxima and minima were always observed on the modified titration curves of statistical copolymers with a higher content of the hydrophobic comonomer in solutions with a high water content. Thus, using the modified titration curves, it is possible to decide whether a given copolymer is of the block or statistical type.     

CO2 gasification of wood charcoals derived from vacuum and atmospheric pyrolysis

The gasification of biomass derived char obtained via vacuum and atmospheric pyrolysis of Populus tremuloides has been studied in the ranges of 725–960°C and 0.1 to 6 MPa. CO₂ was used as the oxidizing gas. The results show that char reactivity is influenced by the preheating rates and that pressure effects are significant between 850°C and 950°C. A correlation based on the expression: df/dt = k₀{exp(-E/RT)}(1 - f)^af^βP^yCO₂ was used to fit the experimental data. In general, vacuum pyrolysis derived char showed a higher reactivity than atmospheric pyrolysis chars. An explanation based on a higher oxygen content of the vacuum pyrolysis char is suggested.     

Molecular modeling of antibody-antigen complexes between the Brucella abortus O-chain polysaccharide and a specific monoclonal antibody

A molecular model of the binding site of an anti-carbohydrateantibody (YsT9.1) has been developed using computer-assistedmodeling techniques and molecular dynamics calculations. Sequencehomologies among YsT9.1 and the Fv regions of McPC603, J539and human Bence-Jones protein REI, all of which have solvedcrystal structures, provided the basis for the modeling. Thegroove-type combining site model had a topography which wascomplementary to low energy confonners of the polysaccharide,a Brucella O-antigen, and the site could be almost completelyfilled by a pentasaccharide epitope in either of two dockingmodes. Putative interactions between this epitope and the antibodyare consistent with the known structural requirements for bindingand lead to the design of oligosaccharide inhibitors that probethe veracity of the modeled docked complex. Ultimately boththe Fv model and the docked complex will be compared with independentcrystal structures of YsT9.1 Fab with and without pentasaccharideinhibitor, currently at the stage of refinement.     

Plasma and lipoprotein fatty acid composition in glycogen storage disease type I

Nocturnal intragastric feeding has been shown to be an effective means to improve clinical and biochemical features in glycogen storage disease type I (GSD-I). In this study, we investigated the fatty acid patterns in a whole plasma and in circulating lipoproteins in patients on this therapy. The results demonstrated massive concentration of total fatty acids coupled with higher levels of triglycerides, free cholesterol, cholesterol ester and phospholipids. This hyperlipidemia involved all fatty acids without distinction of carbon or bond numbers. However, the increase was more pronounced for saturated than polyunsaturated fatty acids, as was demonstrated by the ratios of both oleic acid to linoleic acid (1.91±0.40 vs 0.80±0.09 in controls) and of ω3+ω6 to ω9 fatty acid families (0.92±0.11 vs 1.66±0.08 in controls). The fatty acid patterns in very low (VLDL), low (LDL) and high (HDL) density lipoprotein showed substantial differences in composition, reflecting an association between an abnormal lipoprotein pattern and essential fatty acid deficiency. Furthermore, GSD-I patients exhibited a significant increase in VLDL (17±2 vs 47±7 mg/dl) and LDL cholesterol (124±7 vs 206±24 mg/dl), coupled with a decrease in HDL cholesterol (49±4 vs 28±3 mg/dl). These data documenting high LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol associated with an increased concentration and proportion of saturated fatty acids suggest that GSD-I patients on nocturnal intragastric feeding are at high risk for atherosclerosis and its complications.     

Seeding effects on crystallization temperatures of cordierite glass powder

The role of solid state epitaxy in the crystallization of nanocomposite cordierite glass to glass ceramic was investigated. The use of isostructural (-cordierite) seeds in cordierite glass led to a lowering in the crystallization temperature to form glass ceramic by about 50 °C compared to the unseeded glass. The use of non-isostructural seeds such as ZrO₂ and TiO₂ did not lower the crystallization temperature of cordierite glass to glass ceramic, and in the case of the TiO₂-seeded glass the crystallization temperature increased by about 50 °C compared to the unseeded-cordierite glass. The lowering in crystallization temperature by-cordierite seeding can be attributed to the nucleation and epitaxial growth mechanism.     

IndoorSense: context based indoor pollutant prediction using SARIMAX model

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Indoor air pollutants e.g., Carbon dioxide (CO2), Particulate Matter(PM)2.5, PM10, Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), etc. have a serious impact on human...     

Identification of intra-individual variation in intracranial arterial flow by MRI and the effect on computed hemodynamic descriptors

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - To determine the intra-individual flow variation in serially acquired studies, and the influence of this variation on subsequent...     

Korrosion von ölgefeuerten Zentralheizungskesseln

Corrosion of oil-fired domestic boilers Depending on the surface temperature of the flue gas side the corrosion of oil fired domestic boilers proceeds either mainly by acid corrosion or by oxygen corrosion:

• – At surface temperatures of 60°C and higher the corrosion mechanism of acid corrosion prevails and the corrosion rates amount to 0.1–0.3 mm/year (values referred to continuous burner operation). The corrosion products consist of soluble iron(II)- and iron(III)sulfates. Higher corrosion rates can be attributed to an appreciable catalytic formation of sulfur trioxide on the corrosion products formed on the convective heating surfaces.
• – At surface temperatures of 40°C the mechanism of oxygen corrosion already dominates and the corrosion rates are about ten times higher (1.5–3 mm/year, referred to continous burner operation). The high portion of ioron oxide hydrates, especially goethit (α-FeOOH), makes the corrosion products difficult to remove.
• – Distinctly reduced service lives are also expected for the so called reduced temperature boilers (“Niedertemperaturkessel”) and low temperature boiers (“Tieftemperaturkessel”): According to the manufacturers these boilers may be operated at boiler water temperatures well below 60°C, as they are equipped with constructive measures to enhance the surface temperature on the flue gas side. However, these measures are only fully effective under stationary conditions.

Some of the results were obtained from weight loss measurements on test specimen made from St 35.8 and gray cast iron, that were exposed to the flue gases of an oil fired experimental boiler. Other important results come from field measurements of the sulfuric acid content of about 30 boilers that are in practical use.