Print-Batch(Cold)—A New Process for Wool

A cold printing process has been developed from the IWS pad-batch(cold) method for the dyeing of wool cloth. The chemical aspects of the technique are discussed with particular reference to the role of sodium bisulphite in promoting dye fixation and increasing the colour yield. The system used for the selection of reactive dyes for application to wool in the cold is described. Typical printing procedures are outlined.     

Influence of different reactor types on Nannochloropsis oculata microalgae culture for lipids and fatty acid production

Greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels cause global warming. One option is obtaining biodiesel. Nannochloropsis oculata was cultured under different light intensities and reactors at 25°C for 21 days with f/2 medium to assess their effects on cell density, lipid, and fatty acids (FAs). N. oculata improved cell density on fed-batch glass tubular reactor (7 L) at 200 μmol E m⁻² s⁻¹, yielding 3.5 × 10⁸ cells ml⁻¹, followed by fed-batch Erlenmeyer flask (1 L) at 650 μmol E m⁻² s⁻¹ with 1.7 × 10⁸ cells ml⁻¹. The highest total lipid contents (% g lipid × g dry biomass⁻¹) were 44.4 ± 0.8% for the reactor (1 L) at 650 μmol E m⁻² s⁻¹ and 35.2 ± 0.2% for the tubular reactor (7 L) at 200 μmol E m⁻² s⁻¹, until twice as high compared with the control culture (Erlenmeyer flask 1 L, 80 μmol E m⁻² s⁻¹) with 21.2 ± 1%. Comparing the total lipid content at 200 μmol E m⁻² s⁻¹, tubular reactor (7 L) and reactor 1 L achieved 35.2 ± 0.2% and 28.3 ± 1%, respectively, indicating the effect of shape reactor. The FAs were affected by high light intensity, decreasing SFAs to 2.5%, and increased monounsaturated fatty acids + polyunsaturated fatty acids to 2.5%. PUFAs (20:5n-3) and (20:4n-3) were affected by reactor shape, decreasing by half in the tubular reactor. In the best culture, fed-batch tubular reactor (7 L) at 200 μmol E m⁻² s⁻¹ contains major FAs (16:0; 38.06 ± 0.16%), (16:1n-7; 30.74 ± 0.58%), and (18:1n-9; 17.15 ± 0.91%).     

An entropy-based persistence barcode

In persistent homology, the persistence barcode encodes pairs of simplices meaning birth and death of homology classes. Persistence barcodes depend on the ordering of the simplices (called a filter) of the given simplicial complex. In this paper, we define the notion of “minimal” barcodes in terms of entropy. Starting from a given filtration of a simplicial complex K, an algorithm for computing a “proper” filter (a total ordering of the simplices preserving the partial ordering imposed by the filtration as well as achieving a persistence barcode with small entropy) is detailed, by way of computation, and subsequent modification, of maximum matchings on subgraphs of the Hasse diagram associated to K. Examples demonstrating the utility of computing such a proper ordering on the simplices are given.     

Glyphs for Asymmetric Second‐Order 2D Tensors

Tensors model a wide range of physical phenomena. While symmetric tensors are sufficient for some applications (such as diffusion), asymmetric tensors are required, for example, to describe differential properties of fluid flow. Glyphs permit inspecting individual tensor values, but existing tensor glyphs are fully defined only for symmetric tensors. We propose a glyph to visualize asymmetric second‐order two‐dimensional tensors. The glyph includes visual encoding for physically significant attributes of the tensor, including rotation, anisotropic stretching, and isotropic dilation. Our glyph design conserves the symmetry and continuity properties of the underlying tensor, in that transformations of a tensor (such as rotation or negation) correspond to analogous transformations of the glyph. We show results with synthetic data from computational fluid dynamics.     

How causal knowledge simplifies decision-making

Making decisions can be hard, but it can also be facilitated. Simple heuristics are fast and frugal but nevertheless fairly accurate decision rules that people can use to compensate for their limitations in computational capacity, time, and knowledge when they make decisions [Gigerenzer, G., Todd, P. M., & the ABC Research Group (1999). Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart. New York: Oxford University Press.]. These heuristics are effective to the extent that they can exploit the structure of information in the environment in which they operate. Specifically, they require knowledge about the predictive value of probabilistic cues. However, it is often difficult to keep track of all the available cues in the environment and how they relate to any relevant criterion. This problem becomes even more critical if compound cues are considered. We submit that knowledge about the causal structure of the environment helps decision makers focus on a manageable subset of cues, thus effectively reducing the potential computational complexity inherent in even relatively simple decision-making tasks. We review experimental evidence that tested this hypothesis and report the results of a simulation study. We conclude that causal knowledge can act as a meta-cue for identifying highly valid cues, either individual or compound, and helps in the estimation of their validities.     

Mental Health Courts: A Misguided Attempt to Address the Criminal Justice System's Unfair Treatment of People With Mental Illnesses.

Mental health courts have proliferated in tandem with rising concerns about large numbers of people with mental illnesses cycling through the criminal justice system. Although the goals of these problem-solving courts are laudable, they have flourished because of systemic failures in public mental health and the criminal justice system. In addition to raising various civil rights and public policy concerns, these specialty courts are inherently flawed, unintentionally signaling an acceptance of the rates at which people with serious mental illnesses are entering the criminal justice system. Their very presence makes it more difficult to generate political will to address the root of the problem. Alternative, evidence-based programs address the same concerns without raising the same civil rights and policy questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modelization of hybrid systems with hydrogen and renewable energy oriented to electric propulsion in sailboats

This paper presents a conceptual model of a hybrid electric sailboat in which energy from electric grid is stored in batteries and energy from renewable energies (eolic, solar and hydro) is stored as hydrogen. The main objective of this model is to study the viability of electrifying traditional sailboats with internal combustion engines into hybrid systems with batteries and fuel cell. The most important advantage of this design is the possibility to reduce up to zero emissions of traditional sailboat. Conversion of renewable energy to hydrogen is performed through an electrolyzer and post conversion to energy is carried out by a fuel cell. The fuel cell with the batteries forms the hybrid system (batteries-fuel cell) for propulsion electrical energy supply. In order to model the boat dynamic and energy systems, modular mathematical models were developed under Matlab^®-Simulink^®, using a fixed-step solver for the simulation of global model. A simulated logic controller manages the global model. In this paper, many models have been used: some of them are based in literature models and others were developed from experimental data. A control strategy has also been developed to manage energy flows and then it has been embedded to Matlab^® language. The global model permits test the performance of the sailboat.     

Increases in nitrogen use efficiency decrease nitrous oxide emissions but can penalize yield in sugarcane

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - Nitrogen (N) fertilization strategies focused on increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and decreasing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions are important for...     

Morphology and Stability of Edible Lycopene-Containing Micro- and Nanocapsules Produced Through Electrospraying and Spray Drying

Food and Bioprocess Technology - In this work, lycopene was encapsulated through electrospraying and spray drying (using a microporous membrane cap) within different edible biopolymeric matrices....