Ternary Blends of Renewable Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil,Advanced Bioethanol,and Marine Gasoil as Potential Marine Biofuel

An alternative for reducing emissions from marine fuel is to blend bio-oil from lignocellulose non-edible feedstocks to diesel fossil fuels. Phase diagrams of the ternary systems were built to represent the transition from heterogeneous regions to homogeneous regions. Four homogeneous blends of bio-oil of eucalyptus-bioethanol-marine gasoil were experimentally characterized with respect to the most important fuel parameters for marine engines: water content, flash point, low heating value, viscosity, and acidity. Blends with closer properties to marine gasoil replacement, lower costs, and environmental impacts should be tested for large engines.     

Determination of dissociation constants of loop diuretics in acetonitrile-water mixtures

The dissociation pK values of the representative loop diuretics furosemide, bumetanide and ethacrynic acid in 10, 30, 40, 50 and 70% (w/w) acetonitrile-water mixtures at 298.15 K were determined, according to the rules and procedures endorsed by IUPAC. The variation in pK values over the whole composition range studied can be explained by tacking into account the preferential solvation of ionizable substances in acetonitrile-water mixtures. With a view to determining the pK values of the loop diuretics studied in any of the binary solvent acetonitrile-water mixtures, correlations of pK values and different bulk properties of the solvent were examined, and the linear solvation energy relationships method, LSER, has been applied. The pK values were then correlated with the pi*, alpha and beta solvatochromic parameters of acetonitrile-water mixtures. The resulting equations allowed us to calculate pK values for the loop diuretics in any acetonitrile-water mixture up to 70% (w/w) acetonitrile.     

A major isoform of the maize plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase: characterization and induction by auxin in coleoptiles

The plasma membrane (PM) H(+)-ATPase has been proposed to play important transport and regulatory roles in plant physiology, including its participation in auxin-induced acidification in coleoptile segments. This enzyme is encoded by a family of genes differing in tissue distribution, regulation, and expression level. A major expressed isoform of the maize PM H(+)-ATPase (MHA2) has been characterized. RNA gel blot analysis indicated that MHA2 is expressed in all maize organs, with highest levels being in the roots. In situ hybridization of sections from maize seedlings indicated enriched expression of MHA2 in stomatal guard cells, phloem cells, and root epidermal cells. MHA2 mRNA was induced threefold when nonvascular parts of the coleoptile segments were treated with auxin. This induction correlates with auxin-triggered proton extrusion by the same part of the segments. The PM H(+)-ATPase in the vascular bundies does not contribute significantly to auxin-induced acidification, is not regulated by auxin, and masks the auxin effect in extracts of whole coleoptile segments. We conclude that auxin-induced acidification in coleoptile segments most often occurs in the nonvascular tissue and is mediated, at least in part, by increased levels of MHA2.     

Qualitative features of matrix pencils and DAEs arising in circuit dynamics

The dynamical behaviour of nonlinear electrical circuits is usually modelled in the time domain by differential-algebraic equations (DAEs). The differential-algebraic formalism drives qualitative analyses based on linearization to a matrix pencil setting. In this context, the present paper performs a spectral analysis of matrix pencils and DAEs arising in nonlinear circuit theory. Specifically, the non-singularity, hyperbolicity and asymptotic stability of equilibria are addressed in terms of circuit topology. The differential-algebraic framework puts the results beyond those already known for state-space models, unfeasible in many actual problems. The topological conditions arising in this qualitative study are proved independent of those supporting the index, and therefore they apply to both index-1 and index-2 configurations. The approach illustrates how graph theory, matrix analysis and DAE theory interact in the dynamical study of nonlinear circuits.     

Adaptive detection of DS/CDMA signals in fading channels

This paper examines the behavior of the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver in frequency-nonselective-fading channels. It is noted that the MMSE receiver will often lose phase lock on the desired signal when the desired signal dips into a deep fade. A modification to the MMSE receiver is presented which is demonstrated to function quite nicely in flat-fading channels. Analytical results for the modified MMSE receiver are presented and found to agree very well with simulation results. These analytical results are then compared to the theoretical performance of the conventional (i.e., correlator) receiver in terms of both bit-error rate (BER) and capacity. As expected, the modified MMSE receiver was found to offer a substantial improvement in both BER and capacity. Finally, a simple empirically derived formula is given which will give a good approximation to the BER of the modified MMSE receiver in a Rayleigh-fading environment. This formula can also be used to determine the number of users a given system can support. It is noted that as E_b/N₀ grows, it is quite feasible to approach 100% channel utilization with the MMSE receiver, whereas a conventional receiver is typically limited to a utilization of 10%-20%     

A linear-operator formalism for the analysis of inhomogeneousbiisotropic planar waveguides

Using the theory of linear operators, guided electromagnetic wave propagation in inhomogeneous (nonreciprocal) biisotropic planar structures is analyzed in terms of a 2×2 matrix differential operator. Based on the concept of adjoint waveguide, a new biorthogonality relation for the guided hybrid modes is derived. For the special case of reciprocal biisotropic media or chiral media, the linear-operator formalism leads to a self-adjoint problem. As an application example, a general analysis of the radiation modes of a grounded chiroslabguide is also presented     

Stereological estimation of the total volume of MR visible brain lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis

Point counting represents a convenient and efficient technique for estimating the area of transects through multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions on magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained for sections through the brain. When sectioning has been performed according to the Cavalieri method, unbiased estimates of the total volume of MR-visible MS plaques can be obtained with a precision of 3–5% in 5–10 min.