Liquid yield from juniper and mesquite bio‐fuel gasification

Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) are two woody species which dominate uncultivated lands in the south central Great Plains, USA (Texas, Oklahoma) and may have potential for bioenergy utilization. In this study, these two biomasses were gasified in an adiabatic, updraft fixed‐bed gasifier using air as medium. The products include low heating value gas and liquid tar yield. The effects of fuel moisture content and the equivalence ratio (ER) on liquid yields including heavy tar and light tar and higher heating value (HHV) of the producer gas were investigated. It was found that updraft gasifiers produce a large amount of tar, in a range of 100 g/Nm³ of gas produced. As the equivalence ratio (ER) increased (i.e. more rich char conditions), peak temperature (T_peak) within the bed decreased due to the lesser partial oxidization. The liquid yield showed peak value with change in moisture content between 6 and 24%. Heavy tar is a very high quality fuel with a higher heating value of over 29 MJ/kg on a dry, ash‐free (DAF) basis which is a slightly higher than that of ethanol. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase Polymorphisms in Ischemic Stroke

Stroke remains the fifth leading cause of mortality in the United States with an annual rate of over 128,000 deaths per year. Differences in incidence, pathogenesis, and clinical outcome have long been noted when comparing ischemic stroke among different ethnicities. The observation that racial disparities exist in clinical outcomes after stroke has resulted in genetic studies focusing on specific polymorphisms. Some studies have focused on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs are a ubiquitous group of proteins with extensive roles that include extracellular matrix remodeling and blood-brain barrier disruption. MMPs play an important role in ischemic stroke pathophysiology and clinical outcome. This review will evaluate the evidence for associations between polymorphisms in MMP-1, 2, 3, 9, and 12 with ischemic stroke incidence, pathophysiology, and clinical outcome. The role of polymorphisms in MMP genes may influence the presentation of ischemic stroke and be influenced by racial and ethnic background. However, contradictory evidence for the role of MMP polymorphisms does exist in the literature, and further studies will be necessary to consolidate our understanding of these multi-faceted proteins.     

Consumers and evaluation of interactive health communication applications. The Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health

During the early phase following stroke, patients with aphasia and their families are totally involved in the rehabilitation programme, but later, in the chronic phase, after discharge, the family generally has no support and many problems may arise or become more acute and provoke disturbances in this system. The patients with aphasia and their spouses may feel the situation differently according to their own characteristics, including gender. The present study includes 55 spouses of patients with chronic aphasia and 37 controls (spouses of subjects without physical or cognitive impairments) who filled out a questionnaire concerning their respective spouses (European Brain Injury Questionnaire--EBIQ) and some aspects about themselves. It was concluded, from the opinions expressed by the spouses of patients with chronic aphasia that they have problems in several domains not only related to communication or physical impairments. The opinions of husbands and wives of patients with aphasia, but not of the controls, were different, with more references to behaviour changes in women with aphasia. Spouses' responses also show important changes in their own lives. These results stress the importance of adequate attention to the long-term psychosocial problems of patients and relatives.     

Experimental Assessment of Dynamic Responses Induced in Concrete Bridges by Permit Vehicles

Results from experimental testing of three permit vehicles are presented in the paper. The selected heavy vehicles, which require permits from state DOTs, included two tractor-trailer systems and a midsize crane. The vehicles were experimentally tested on popular existing speed bumps and on a representative highway bridge. The selected bridge was a reinforced-concrete structure constructed in 1999, located on the U.S. 90 in Northwest Florida. The bridge approach depression, combined with a distinct joint gap between the asphalt pavement and the concrete deck, triggered significant dynamic responses of the vehicle-bridge system. Similar dynamic vibrations were observed and recorded when the permit vehicles were driven over the speed bumps. Time histories of relative displacements, accelerations, and strains for selected locations on the vehicle-bridge system were recorded. The analysis of experimental data allowed for assessment of actual dynamic interactions between the vehicles and the speed bumps as well as dynamic load allowance factors for the selected bridge.     

Development of hurricane resistant traffic signal structures

Performance of traffic signal support systems during hurricanes has indicated that the current dual cable system used in Florida often experiences substantial damage. Because there is widespread use of single cable support systems in hurricane-prone regions of other states, this project investigated the performance of both dual cable and single cable support systems in high velocity winds. The weight, orientation, and type of signal support hardware were modified to show the effects of various signal configurations. Test results indicate that (1) the difference in signal rotation is insignificant between dual cable and single cable systems, (2) the tension in the catenary cable does not significantly increase for either system; however, in the dual cable system, the increase in tensile force is substantial in the messenger cable resulting in increased flexural loading in the pole support structure, and (3) the cable supported traffic signals should be designed using both the drag and lift coefficients rather than just the drag coefficient to account for signal rotation. The single cable configuration was found to be the preferred option for structural response to wind.     

A NOTE ON SQUARE ROOT FILTERING FOR VECTOR AUTOREGRESSIVE MOVING-AVERAGE MODELS

Abstract. A simplified version of the square root Kalman filter is obtained for a vector autoregressive moving-average (VARMA) model. The algorithm is computationally more efficient that the standard square root algorithm and its output can be used to compute the likelihood of a VARMA model accurately.     

A unified approach to RF and microwave noise parameter modeling inbipolar transistors

A unified approach to RF and microwave noise parameter modeling in bipolar transistors is presented. Circuit level noise parameters including the minimum noise figure, the optimum generator admittance, and the noise resistance are analytically linked to the fundamental noise sources and the y-parameters of the transistor through circuit analysis of the chain noisy two-port representation. Comparisons of circuit level noise parameters from different physical models of noise sources in the transistor were made against measurements in UHV/CVD SiGe HBTs. A new model for the collector shot noise is then proposed which produces better noise parameter agreement with measured data than the SPICE noise model and the thermodynamic noise model, the two most recent Y-parameter based noise models     

Noise modeling and SiGe profile design tradeoffs for RFapplications [HBTs]

This paper investigates SiGe profile design tradeoffs for low-noise RF applications at a given technology generation (i.e., fixed minimum feature size and thermal cycle). An intuitive model relating structural parameters and biases to noise parameters is used to identify the noise limiting factors in a given technology. The noise performance can be improved by pushing more Ge into the base and creating a larger Ge gradient in the base. To maintain the SiGe film stability, the retrograding of the Ge into the collector has to be reduced, leading to a stronger f_T-I_C roll-off at high injection. Two low-noise profiles were designed and fabricated explicitly for improving minimum noise figure (NF_min) without sacrificing gain, linearity, frequency response, or the stability of the SiGe strained layer. A 0.2 dB NF_min was achieved at 2.0 GHz with an associated gain (G_assoc) of 13 dB     

Antibody-based Detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> O157:H7 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmonella enterica</Emphasis> Serovar Typhimurium Grown in Low-shear Modeled Microgravity

With the advent of prolonged spaceflights, it is important to determine if antibody-based assays can be used to monitor food and water for bacterial contaminants. In the present work, a ground-based high aspect ratio vessel (HARV) was used to determine if low shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) alters antibody-binding to E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Antibody–bacteria binding was similar under LSMMG and normal gravity because there was no difference in amount of captured bacteria measured by colony forming units (CFU) between assays conducted in the HARV and a conventional roller flask. The ability of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium grown in LSMMG to bind specific antibodies was also studied. After incubations of 4, 18 or 36 h in the HARV or a shaking incubator, bacteria were harvested for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). In the E. coli O157:H7 ELISA using a goat polyclonal primary antibody, LSMMG did not alter the linear range of detection (10⁵–10⁷ cells/ml) nor the signal to noise ratio at any bacterial concentration. Although insignificant changes in signal to noise ratios were evident, LSMMG did not alter the range of detection (10⁵–10⁷ cells/ml) for Salmonella Typhimurium in ELISAs using either a polyclonal or a monoclonal antibody. These results suggest that immunoassays may be used in spacecrafts because LSMMG does not have significant deleterious effects on antibody-binding to bacteria nor does it significantly alter surface antigens necessary for antibody-based methods.