Evaluation of Two Sets of Sorghum Bagasse Samples as the Feedstock for Fermentable Sugar Recovery via the Calcium Capturing by Carbonation (CaCCO) Process

Abstract: Sorghum bagasse samples from two sets (n6 and bmr6; n18 and bmr18) of wild-type and corresponding “brown midrib” (bmr) mutant strains of sweet sorghum were evaluated as the feedstock for fermentable sugar recovery via the calcium capturing by carbonation (CaCCO) process, which involves Ca(OH)₂ pretreatment of bagasse with subsequent neutralization with CO₂ for enzymatic saccharification. Saccharification tests under various pretreatment conditions of the CaCCO process at different Ca(OH)₂ concentrations, temperatures or residence periods indicated that bmr strains are more sensitive to the pretreatment than their counterparts are. It is expected that variant bmr6 is more suitable for glucose recovery than its wild-type counterpart because of the higher glucan content and better glucose recovery with less severe pretreatment. Meanwhile, bmr18showed higher scores of glucose recovery than its counterpart did, only at low pretreatment severity, and did not yield higher sugar recovery under the more severe conditions. The trend was similar to that of xylose recovery data from the two bmr strains. The advantages of bmr strains were also proven by means of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of CaCCO-pretreated bagasse samples by pentose-fermenting yeast strain Candida shehatae Cs 4R. The amounts needed for production of 1 L of ethanol from n6, bmr6, n18, and bmr18samples were estimated as 4.11, 3.46, 4.03, and 3.95 kg, respectively. The bmr strains seem to have excellent compatibility with the CaCCO process for ethanol production, and it is expected that integrated research from the feedstock to bioprocess may result in breakthroughs for commercialization.     

Polymer solar cells with light-trapping structure connected in series by soft contact lamination process

A modified soft contact lamination (SCL) process used to fabricate polymer solar cells (PSCs) with nanostructures was developed. Instead of thermally evaporating the metal electrode directly onto the photoactive or the buffer layer, the metal electrode is firstly deposited onto an elastomeric plate made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), then laminated with a substrate coated with conducting polymer via the SCL process, which provides a non-intrusive way to introduce the metal electrode. Since the PDMS plate is compatible for soft lithography, enabling it to be constructed in a light-trapping structure to enhance the power conversion efficiency. Moreover, the architecture of our SCL-fabricated PSCs is suitable for series connecting individual cells to accumulate output voltages for targeting practical applications.     

Testing mediators of intervention effects in randomized controlled trials: An evaluation of three depression prevention programs.

Objective: Evaluate a new 5-step method for testing mediators hypothesized to account for the effects of depression prevention programs. Method: In this indicated prevention trial, at-risk teens with elevated depressive symptoms were randomized to a group cognitive–behavioral (CB) intervention, group supportive expressive intervention, CB bibliotherapy, or assessment-only control condition. Results: The group CB intervention reduced depressive symptoms and negative cognitions and increased pleasant activities. Change in these mediators predicted change in depression, and intervention effects became weaker controlling for change in the mediators; yet, change in depression appeared typically to occur before change in the mediators. The supportive expressive intervention reduced depressive symptoms but affected only 1 of 2 mediators (emotional expression but not loneliness). Change in emotional expression did not correlate with change in depression, and change in depression usually occurred before change in the mediators. Bibliotherapy did not significantly affect depressive symptoms or the ostensive mediators (negative cognitions and pleasant activities), and change in depression usually occurred before change in the mediators. Conclusion: Results imply that this procedure provides a sensitive test of mediation but yielded limited support for the hypothesized mediators, suggesting that nonspecific factors may play an important mediational role. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of poly(methyl methacrylate)‐based low‐profile additives on the properties of cured unsaturated polyester resins. II. Volume shrinkage characteristics and internal pigmentability

The effects of three series of self‐synthesized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)‐based low‐profile additives (LPAs), including PMMA, poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate), and poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate‐co‐maleic anhydride) with different chemical structures and MWs on the volume shrinkage characteristics and internal pigmentability for low‐shrink unsaturated polyester (UP) resins during curing were investigated by an integrated approach of static phase characteristics of the ternary styrene (ST)/UP/LPA system, reaction kinetics, cured‐sample morphology, microvoid formation, and property measurements. The relative volume fraction of microvoids generated during the cure was controlled by the stiffness of the UP resin used, the compatibility of the uncured ST/UP/LPA systems, and the glass‐transition temperature of the LPAs used. On the basis of the Takayanagi mechanical model, the LPA mechanism on volume shrinkage control, which accounted for phase separation and microvoid formation, and factors leading to both a good volume shrinkage control and acceptable internal pigmentability for the molded parts are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3388–3397, 2004     

A fast CFAR detection space-time adaptive processing algorithm

All of the conventional CFAR detection algorithms that use space-time processing involve a time-consuming matrix-inversion operation. Based on today's technology, this computational complexity sometimes makes the full-rank solution difficult to realize. In this correspondence, a CFAR detection algorithm, which does not need a matrix inversion, is developed by an adaptation and extension of Hotelling's principal-component method studied recently by Kirsteins and Tufts (1994). Finally, the performance of the new CFAR test statistic is analyzed, and the effect of the rank reduction on performance is evaluated for an example scenario     

Brief cognitive-behavioral depression prevention program for high-risk adolescents outperforms two alternative interventions: A randomized efficacy trial.

In this depression prevention trial, 341 high-risk adolescents (mean age = 15.6 years, SD = 1.2) with elevated depressive symptoms were randomized to a brief group cognitive-behavioral (CB) intervention, group supportive-expressive intervention, bibliotherapy, or assessment-only control condition. CB participants showed significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms than did supportive-expressive, bibliotherapy, and assessment-only participants at posttest, though only the difference compared with assessment controls was significant at 6-month follow-up. CB participants showed significantly greater improvements in social adjustment and reductions in substance use at posttest and 6-month follow-up than did participants in all 3 other conditions. Supportive-expressive and bibliotherapy participants showed greater reductions in depressive symptoms than did assessment-only controls at certain follow-up assessments but produced no effects for social adjustment and substance use. CB, supportive-expressive, and bibliotherapy participants showed a significantly lower risk for major depression onset over the 6-month follow-up than did assessment-only controls. The evidence that this brief CB intervention reduced risk for future depression onset and outperformed alternative interventions for certain ecologically important outcomes suggests that this intervention may have clinical utility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Magnetic thin films for information storage

In most storage technologies, the two critical components are the recording head and the recording medium; hence, improvements in storage media go hand in hand with improvements in read/write head technology. Thin films are becoming the dominant medium chosen to meet the burgeoning demand for information storage, and thin-film technology has been transferred to the read/write heads as well. Materials science plays an important role in correlating the structure, properties and processing of thin-film magnetic materials for both applications.     

The role of atomic mobility during film growth in the structural and magnetic properties of CoCr

We have studied the morphological, crystallographic, and magnetic properties of CoCr thin films sputtered at different substrate temperatures and pressures. Conditions which produce high adatom mobility on the surface of the growing film lead to good c-axis orientation and magnetic anisotropy normal to the substrate, while low mobility leads to poor c-axis orientation and anisotropy. These results are explained in terms of van der Drift's model of the evolutionary growth of vapor-deposited films. The perpendicular coercivities of our samples depend only on the substrate temperature and we find no correlation with the film morphology or grain size.     

Enantioselective Additions of Aryltitanium Tris(isopropoxide) to Ketones: Structure of [(i‐PrO)2Ti{μ‐(S)‐BINOLate}(μ‐O‐i‐Pr)TiPh(O‐i‐Pr)2], Study of Mechanistic and Stereochemical Insights

Aryl addition reactions of ArTi(O‐i‐Pr)₃ to aromatic, heteroaromatic, or α,β‐unsaturated ketones are described, producing tertiary alcohols in good to excellent enantioselectivities of up to 97% ee. The structure of the dititanium complex [(i‐PrO)₂Ti{μ‐(S)‐BINOLate}(μ‐O‐i‐Pr)TiPh(O‐i‐Pr)₂] [(S)‐ 4 ] that simultaneously bears a chiral directing ligand and a nucleophile is reported. Complex (S)‐ 4 possesses a pocket structure and has been illustrated as the key active species for addition reactions of both aldehydes and ketones. Mechanistic and stereochemical insights concerning addition reactions of organometallic reagents to organic carbonyls are rationalized based on the pocket structure and pocket size of (S)‐ 4 .