Towards the improvement of thermal efficiency in lignite‐fired power generation: Concerning the utilization of Polish lignite deposits in state‐of‐the‐art IGCC technology

Integrated coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is the most advanced technology for coal‐fired power generation. The two‐stage entrained flow gasification process allows for the use of a wide range of coal, as long as the gasification temperature is above the ash melting point of a used fuel. In this gasification technology, lignite, which often has a low ash melting point, can be preferably utilized. However, ash fluidity is also another importance, because the behaviour of molten slag can diminish a stable ash discharge from a gasifier. As the eligibility of coal ash properties is a considerable factor, water physically and chemically kept in lignite (30 – 60% in mass) attributes to deteriorating gasification efficiency, because it causes significant heat loss and increasing oxygen consumption. Developing a thermal evaporative lignite drying method will be a necessary attempt to apply lignite to the coal gasification process. For those preceded objectives, coal and ash properties and drying characteristics of several grades of Polish lignite, extracted from Belchatow and Turow deposits, have been experimentally investigated in a preliminary study evaluating the applicability and consideration for its utilization in state‐of‐the‐art clean coal technology, IGCC. This paper particularly discusses the eligibility of Polish lignite from the perspective of the fusibility and fluidity of ash melts and the fundamental drying kinetics of lignite in superheated steam in the light of water removal. The viscosity of ash melts is measured at high temperature up to 1700 °C. In the drying tests, the significant influence of structural issues, because of the provenance and origin of lignite on the drying characteristics, was found by applying the method of sensitivity analysis of physical propensity. This paper concludes that the investigated Polish lignite has characteristics favourable for utilization in IGCC technology, once the precautions related to its high moisture have been carefully addressed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aerobic Exercise Ameliorates Cancer Cachexia-Induced Muscle Wasting through Adiponectin Signaling

Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by muscle loss that cannot be reversed by conventional nutritional support. To uncover the molecular basis underlying the onset of cancer cachectic muscle wasting and establish an effective intervention against muscle loss, we used a cancer cachectic mouse model and examined the effects of aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise successfully suppressed muscle atrophy and activated adiponectin signaling. Next, a cellular model for cancer cachectic muscle atrophy using C2C12 myotubes was prepared by treating myotubes with a conditioned medium from a culture of colon-26 cancer cells. Treatment of the atrophic myotubes with recombinant adiponectin was protective against the thinning of cells through the increased production of p-mTOR and suppression of LC3-II. Altogether, these findings suggest that the activation of adiponectin signaling could be part of the molecular mechanisms by which aerobic exercise ameliorates cancer cachexia-induced muscle wasting.     

Study of Cuprate Superconductivity Using the Particle Number Conserving Bogoliubov-de Gennes Equations: ARPES and STS Images From Surface Plus Bulk Layers Model

Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism - We theoretically study the superconductivity in hole-doped cuprate superconductors by employing a model composed of surface and bulk CuO $$_2$$...     

Application of multiple sensory evaluations to produce fermented beverages made from sole whey using Kluyveromyces marxianus

Various fermented whey-based beverages have been developed to reduce waste. However, approaches to increase the preference of whey-based beverages are required because of the low sensory acceptability of whey. Here, we identified the better starting material (whey type), between raw whey (RW) and demineralised whey (DMW), and determined the optimal initial concentration using multiple sensory evaluations to develop acceptable fermented beverages made from sole whey with pure cultured Kluyveromyces marxianus (i.e. without additional ingredients and processing methods). Acceptance tests showed that fermented beverages made from DMW were superior to RW as the starting material. The amounts of ethanol produced were 5.0%, 7.6% and 9.5% v/v from the different initial DMW concentrations of 10%, 15% and 20% w/v, respectively. We observed a significant positive correlation (r_s = 0.32, P < 0.05) between the assessment attributes, strength of taste as alcohol beverage and overall acceptability, indicating that higher concentrations of DMW yielded a more desirable product.     

Visible Light Irradiation of [60]Fullerene Causes Killing and Initiation of Transformation in Balb/3T3 Cells

Abstract

Cell transformation in vitro is a model of carcinogenesis in vivo. Two-stage transformation assay increases the sensitivity of cells to chemicals and permits detection of carcinogens acting as initiating agents. [60]Fullerene (C₆₀) was cytotoxic in BALB/3T3 cells when it was irradiated by visible light, but not without light irradiation. Under conditions when C₆₀ was cytotoxic, it acted as an initiating agent for cell transformation, but it did not act as a complete transforming agent. the initiating activity of visible-light-irradiated C₆₀ was statistically significant in a modified two-stage transformation assay including a procedure for replating cells treated by C₆₀ and light, but it was equivocal in the standard two-stage transformation assay.     

Sieving of aerosol particles with metal screens

Metal screens with uniform micrometer-sized opening were employed to sieve aerosol particles by suppressing the adhesion of particles smaller than the openings. The collection efficiencies of monodispersed polystyrene latex (PSL) particles were experimentally determined using the metal screens with 1.2, 1.8, 2.5, and 4.2 μm openings at various filtration velocities. The particles smaller than the mesh opening adhered on the metal screen at a low filtration velocity, but the bounce-off of particles on the mesh surface suppressed the adhesion at a high velocity. As a result, we found that the adhesion of PSL particles larger than 0.3 μm mostly suppressed at a filtration velocity higher than 10 m s^?1 and therefore we can sieve aerosol particles according to the opening size of metal screens. We also found that the particle number concentration could be determined by measuring the increase in pressure drop since the clogging of metal screen openings takes place by the individual particles.

© 2016 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Spatial mapping of electronic states in κ-(BEDT-TTF)2X using infrared reflectivity

We review our recent work on spatial inhomogeneity of the electronic states in the strongly correlated molecular conductors κ-(BEDT-TTF)₂X. Spatial mapping of infrared spectra (SMIS) is used for imaging the distribution of the local electronic states. In molecular materials, the infrared response of the specific molecular vibration mode with a strong electron–molecular vibration coupling can reflect the electronic states via the change in the vibration frequency. By spatially mapping the frequency shift of the molecular vibration mode, an electronic phase separation has been visualized near the first-order Mott transition in the bandwidth-controlled organic conductor κ-(BEDT-TTF)₂Cu[N(CN)₂]Br. In addition to reviewing SMIS of the phase separation, we briefly mention the electronic and optical properties of κ-(BEDT-TTF)₂X.