Development of a co-firing fuel from biomass-derived binder and crushed coal

The focus of this work was the development of a co-firing boiler fuel for use in the coal power plant industry. This fuel, known as co-fire pellets, is a densified product comprised of crushed coal and a renewable binder derived from the liquid product of the fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. The co-fire pellets can help meet certain state and federal regulations related to electricity production. A central composite design of experiments was used to evaluate properties of the co-fire pellets based on four factors relating to the makeup of the pellets. These factors are coal particle size, coal moisture content, binder percentage, and pellet cure time. Properties of the pellets were investigated using the following tests: higher heating value, proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, mass density, particle density, indirect tensile strength, impact resistance, and abrasion resistance. The experimental data was modeled using linear regression techniques. The pyrolyzed biomass binder fraction had the largest impact on pellet properties, while cure temperature was determined to be a nonessential treatment

Rapid and Accurate Pressure Sensing Device for Direct Measurement of Intraocular Pressure.

PurposeIntraocular pressure (IOP) is the primary modifiable risk factor for glaucoma. Current devices measure IOP via the dynamic response of the healthy cornea and do not provide the accurate IOP measurements for patients with altered corneal biomechanics. We seek to develop and test an accurate needle-based IOP measurement device that is not cornea dependent.MethodsOur device combines a high-resolution pressure microsensor with 30- and 33-gauge Luer lock needles to provide IOP measurements via a microcontroller and USB interface to a computer. The device was calibrated in a membrane chamber and then tested and validated in the anterior chamber and post-vitrectomy vitreous chamber of rabbit eyes. The results were compared to Tonopen readings across a pressure range of 0 to 100 mm Hg, imposed in increments of 10 mm Hg.ResultsBoth the needle based sensor device and the Tonopen demonstrated a linear relationship with changes in imposed pressure. The Tonopen was found to consistently underestimate the IOP both in the anterior and vitreous chambers. The Tonopen exhibited a significantly greater error than our needle-based sensor device. With increased pressure (>30 mm Hg), the error of the Tonopen increased, whereas the error of our device did not. The 30-gauge needle produces an insignificant improvement in accuracy over the 33-gauge needle.ConclusionsA needle-based sensor device enables accurate IOP measurements over a broad range of induced IOP.Translational relevanceDirect measurement of IOP in the anterior chamber circumvents the influence of corneal parameters on IOP measurement

Automatic Dispensing Pill Caddy for the Elderly

The report, Aging in the United States, finds that baby boomers who are at retirement age are in worse health compared with previous generations. More of them are living with chronic conditions such as high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease; all which require medication. The report also anticipates the number of people with dementia could nearly triple in the coming decades, resulting in senior adults requiring more assistance with daily activities. Our product intends to enhance the quality of life of the older adult population by providing a pill dispenser that creates convenience with alerts and notifications. This makes the dosage easily accessible to those with cognitive and other impairments, and helps these adults to live a healthier lifestyle all the while minimizing the stress involved and time needed to take their medication. The demographics for our customer base include those who are ages 65+ who have difficulty with memory, individuals who live with multiple diseases/chronic conditions, and elderly individuals who live independently and require regular assistance. We will reach our most relevant market by selling our product individually and also by providing access to hospitals, insurance companies, and care providers. Our product will add value to our end user’s life, is easily accessible for the elderly customers and can easily be changed with evolving technology.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1190/thumbnail.jp

Investigations on the physiological basis of adaptation to altitude in Nardus stricta L.

Digitisation of this thesis was sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin

Singlet exciton fission in solution.

Singlet exciton fission, the spin-conserving process that produces two triplet excited states from one photoexcited singlet state, is a means to circumvent the Shockley-Queisser limit in single-junction solar cells. Although the process through which singlet fission occurs is not well characterized, some local order is thought to be necessary for intermolecular coupling. Here, we report a triplet yield of 200% and triplet formation rates approaching the diffusion limit in solutions of bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl (TIPS)) pentacene. We observe a transient bound excimer intermediate, formed by the collision of one photoexcited and one ground-state TIPS-pentacene molecule. The intermediate breaks up when the two triplets separate to each TIPS-pentacene molecule. This efficient system is a model for future singlet-fission materials and for disordered device components that produce cascades of excited states from sunlight.B.J.W. was supported by a Herchel Smith Research Fellowship. A.J.M. received funding from a Marie Curie Scholarship. D.B. is a FNRS Research Director. Both A.J.M and D.B. acknowledge support from the European Community’s Initial Training Network SUPERIOR (PITN-GA-2009-238177). Further funding for this project came from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and a pump-prime grant from the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability.This is the accepted version of an article originally published in Nature Chemistry 5, 1019–1024 and available online at http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v5/n12/full/nchem.1801.html. Nature Publishing Group's conditions for reuse are detailed at http://www.nature.com/authors/policies/license.html

Assessing the ability of human endothelial cells derived from induced‐pluripotent stem cells to form functional microvasculature in vivo

Forming functional blood vessel networks is a major clinical challenge in the fields of tissue engineering and therapeutic angiogenesis. Cell‐based strategies to promote neovascularization have been widely explored, but cell sourcing remains a significant limitation. Induced‐pluripotent stem cell‐derived endothelial cells (iPSC‐ECs) are a promising, potentially autologous, alternative cell source. However, it is unclear whether iPSC‐ECs form the same robust microvasculature in vivo documented for other EC sources. In this study, we utilized a well‐established in vivo model, in which ECs (iPSC‐EC or human umbilical vein endothelial cells [HUVEC]) were coinjected with normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLFs) and a fibrin matrix into the dorsal flank of severe combined immunodeficiency mice to assess their ability to form functional microvasculature. Qualitatively, iPSC‐ECs were capable of vessel formation and perfusion and demonstrated similar vessel morphologies to HUVECs. However, quantitatively, iPSC‐ECs exhibited a two‐fold reduction in vessel density and a three‐fold reduction in the number of perfused vessels compared with HUVECs. Further analysis revealed the presence of collagen‐IV and α‐smooth muscle actin were significantly lower around iPSC‐EC/NHLF vasculature than in HUVEC/NHLF implants, suggesting reduced vessel maturity. Collectively, these results demonstrate the need for increased iPSC‐EC maturation for clinical translation to be realized.Forming functional blood vessel networks is a major clinical challenge in the fields of tissue engineering and therapeutic angiogenesis. Cell‐based strategies to promote neovascularization have been widely explored, but cell sourcing remains a significant limitation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146963/1/bit26860.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146963/2/bit26860_am.pd

Very Very Far Away (VVFA) - ‘From Dissemination to Anticipation’: Democratising the future using public co-enquiries and serialised fiction podcasts

Very Very Far Away (VVFA) is a public facing research platform seeking to re-ignite future ideologies. Its methods use space exploration as a lens to examine current ideas and values which may pertain to future societies. VVFA focuses on democratising future narratives, through exploring multiple perspectives simultaneously, and disseminating new cultural fictions. VVFA brings members of the public and experts together, using ‘co-enquiries’ organised as public think tanks. We collectively craft a web of stories capturing new potentials — future roles, future social and organisational structures, and collective aspirations — these are subsequently documented through a series of audio narratives and disseminated via podcast through online platforms. This process enables the conceptualisation of future worlds, through which newly formed ideologies can permeate the public realm. Today’s society is based on collectively agreed upon fictions. Cultural beliefs appear to be dominated by a ‘utopia of normality’, characterised by an absence of anticipation and projection. In some occasions, future projections can be perceived as speculative predictions omitting major societal aspects such as our social, economic or political structures by primarily focusing on technological prowesses, resulting in nothing more than exercises in escapism. Conversely, proposing Space Exploration as a lens to examine today’s narratives, encourages participants to take a step back and re-evaluate cultural values informing technological development whilst empowering them to create long term cultural projections. VVFA methodology articulates 2 distinct approaches: - Collaborative world creation, as an inspirational strategy established around scientific, social and ethical questioning induced by space exploration. - Reverse archeology, or the embodiment of future narratives into designed artefacts, services, and other interventions. In this paper we will discuss how VVFA engages with audiences generating contemporary aspirations to do with space and the very very far away, by examining previously run co-enquiries in Europe (Casa Jasmina and Officine Arduino in Turin, FHNW masterstudio in Basel, Space Studios in London). VVFA’s dissemination emphasises the Podcast, a medium whose listenership has consistently increased during the past decade, a growth driven by mobility, reaching an audience of 73 million every months in the US for instance. We will also examine the role of this dissemination in mediating future ideologies from the bottom up, the ability to quickly rally audiences for further co-enquiries, and the underlying feedback loop model enabling an evolving content