Design, fabrication, operation and Aspen simulation of oil shale pyrolysis and biomass gasification process using a moving bed downdraft reactor

Energy is the major facilitator of the modern life. Every developed and developing economy requires access to advanced sources of energy to support its growth and prosperity. Declining worldwide crude oil reserves and increasing energy needs has focused attention on developing existing unconventional fossil fuels like oil shale and renewable resources such as biomass. Sustainable, renewable and reliable resources of domestically produced biomass comparing to wind and solar energy is a sensible motivation to establish a small-scale power plant using biomass as feed to supply electricity demand and heat for rural development. The work in Paper I focuses on the possibility of water pollution from spent oil shale which should be studied before any significant commercial production is attempted. In Paper II, the proposed Aspen models for oil shale pyrolysis is to identify the key process parameters for the reactor and optimize the rate of production of syncrude from oil shale. The work in Paper III focuses on 1. Design and operation of a vertical downdraft reactor, 2. Establishing an optimum operating methodology and parameters to maximize syngas production through process testing. Finally in Paper IV, a proposed Aspen model for biomass gasification simulates a real biomass gasification system discussed in Paper III --Abstract, page iv

Predicting the effect of bed materials in bubbling fluidized bed gasification using artificial neural networks (ANNs) modeling approach

The effect of different bed materials was included a as new input into an artificial neural network model to predict the gas composition (CO2, CO, CH4 and H2) and gas yield of a biomass gasification process in a bubbling fluidized bed. Feed and cascade forward back propagation networks with one and two hidden layers and with Levenberg-Marquardt and Bayesian Regulation learning algorithms were employed for the training of the networks. A high number of network topologies were simulated to determine the best configuration. It was observed that the developed models are able to predict the CO2, CO, CH4, H2 and gas yield with good accuracy (R2 > 0.94 and MSE < 1.7 × 10−3). The results obtained indicate that this approach is a powerful tool to help in the efficient design, operation and control of bubbling fluidized bed gasifiers working with different operating conditions, including the effect of the bed material

Quantitative characteristics and chemical composition in Caspian roach (Rutilus rutilus caspicus) sperm

In this study, quantitative characteristics and chemical composition of in roach (Rutilus rutilus caspicus) sperm were investigated. Sperm traits included sperm movement duration, percentage of motile spermatozoa, sperm density, spermatocrit and sperm volume. Some seminal plasma characteristics (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride) were investigated. In addition, some metabolites of seminal plasma (glucose, cholesterol and protein) were measured. The Na+ and K+ ions correlated negatively with spermatozoa motility (r = -0.0518, p<.05 and r =-0.3597, p<.01) respectively. Also, there were significant positive correlations between Ca2+ and Cl- ions with spermatozoa motility (r = 0.2945, p<.05 and r= 0.1379, p<.01), respectively. Mg+2 was positively correlated with glucose and protein (r = 0.046, p<.05 and r = 0.694, p<.05), respectively. On the other hand, a significant positive relationship was found between Na+ and K+ (r = 0.548, p<.01). These parameters can be used to evaluation of sperm quality and collecting information about developing procedures for artificial fertilization of roach

Comparative analysis of milt quality in the cultured and wild stocks of endangered Caspian brown trout, Salmo trutta caspius

The sperm motility characteristics (percentage of motile spermatozoa and duration of motility) and sperm production (spermatocrit, milt volume and sperm concentration) were measured in order to compare the milt quality between cultured and wild stocks of Caspian brown trout, Salmo trutta caspius. Our results showed that cultured brooders produce more dense milt than wild individuals. In contrast, the milt volume, percentage and duration of spermatozoa motility were higher in wild brooders than in cultured individuals. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of captivity condition on milt quality of cultured males of Caspian brown trout.Keywords: Sperm density, sperm motility, Caspian brown trou

The influence of ovarian fluid on the sperm physiology of Rutilus kutum

Motility parameters of the spermatozoa in most fish species spawning in fresh water like Rutilus kutum lasts for a short time after activation. Ovarian fluid significantly influenced sperm motility (motility duration period) and percent motility (progressive forward motile sperm). Both of these variables generally increased as the concentration of ovarian fluid increased from 33% to 50%, respectively. It is concluded that ovarian fluid enhances sperm movement in this species at appropriate level and thus has the potential to influence fertilization capacity

Effect of MTA and CEM on Mineralization-Associated Gene Expression in Stem Cells Derived from Apical Papilla

Introduction: This study assessed the effect of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement on odontogenic differentiation and mineralization of stem cells. Methods and Materials: After confirmation of stemness and homogeneity of stem cells derived from apical papilla (SCAPs) using flow cytometry, the cells were exposed for 3 weeks to either osteogenic medium (OS) or CEM extract+OS (CEM+OS) or MTA extract in OS (MTA+OS) or DMEM based regular culture media (negative control). Relative expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), dentine sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), osteocalcin (OSC), and osterix (SP7) were measured at days 14 and 21 using RT-qPCR method. At the same time points Alizarin Red staining method was used to assess mineralization potential of SCAPS. Gene expression changes analysis were made automatically using REST® software and a P&lt;0.05 was considered significant. Results: After 2 weeks of exposure, expression of all genes were between 3 and 52 times the expression of GADPH (all were upregulated except SP7 in the control, P&lt;0.05). After 3 weeks, relative expressions of the genes: ALP, SP7, DSPP, and OSC were respectively 275.9, 528.3, 98.4, and 603.7 times the expression of GADPH in the control group (OS). These were respectively 17.405, 29.2, 11.8, and 6.5 in CEM+OS group, and 163.8, 119.7, 102.5, and 723.9 in MTA+OS group. All of these were confirmed as upregulated (P&lt;0.05) except for ALP and OSC of DM+CEM group. After 2 weeks, alizarin red staining showed similar mineralized nodules in OS, MTA+OS, and CEM+OS. In third week, larger nodules were seen in MTA+OS and OS, but not in CEM+OS. Conclusion: After 2 weeks, gene expressions were almost comparable in OS, CEM+OS, and MTA+OS. After 3 weeks, OS and MTA+OS upregulated genes much greater than in 2nd week. However, upregulation in CEM+OS might not increase in 3rd week compared to those in 2nd week.Keywords: Biomaterials; Calcium-Enriched Mixture (CEM Cement); Mineral Trioxide Aggregate; Relative Gene Expression; Retrograde Root Filling Materials; Stem Cells from Apical Papill

Lack of Adverse Effects of Cold Physical Plasma-Treated Blood from Leukemia Patients: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common blood malignancy with multiple therapeutic challenges. Cold physical plasma has been considered a promising approach in cancer therapy in recent years. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of cold plasma or plasma-treated solutions (PTS) on hematologic parameters in the whole blood of CLL patients. The mean red blood cell count, white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet and hemoglobin counts, and peripheral blood smear images did not significantly differ between treated and untreated samples in either CLL or healthy individuals. However, both direct plasma and indirect PTS treatment increased lipid peroxidation and RNS deposition in the whole blood of CLL patients and in healthy subjects. In addition, the metabolic activity of WBCs was decreased with 120 s of cold plasma or PTS treatment after 24 h and 48 h. However, cold plasma and PTS treatment did not affect the prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, nor hemolysis in either CLL patients or in healthy individuals. The present study identifies the components of cold plasma to reach the blood without disturbing the basic parameters important in hematology, confirming the idea that the effect of cold plasma may not be limited to solid tumors and possibly extends to hematological disorders. Further cellular and molecular studies are needed to determine which cells in CLL patients are targeted by cold plasma or PTS

Interleukin 35 levels in saliva of type 2 diabetic patients with moderate chronic periodontitis

Introduction: Periodontitis is a common disease in patients with diabetes. There is a significant relationship between hyperglycemic degree and severity of periodontitis, but the base of mechanism of this relationship has not been fully defined. Considering the important role of cytokines in periodontal pathogenesis and considering that there has been no study on the comparison of interleukin 35 (IL-35) in these diseases, the aim of this study was to determine the level of this salivary cytokine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with generalized moderate chronic periodontitis. Material & Methods: Totally, 88 subjects (44 female, 44 males) with a mean age of 42.5±10.5 years old participated in this case control study. The subjects were divided into four groups and each group included 22 subjects: Group 1: generalized moderate chronic periodontitis patients with type 2 diabetes, Group 2: generalized moderate chronic periodontitis patients without diabetes, Group 3: diabetic patients with normal periodontium, Group 4: healthy periodontium and non-diabetic group (control) Then saliva were collected and centrifuged, the amount of IL-35 was determined with commercial ELISA kit. Data were analyzed . ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests were used to compare the groups. Results: The Mean±SD of IL-35 was significantly higher in the control group (22.59±8.36, p0.05). Conclusion: The salivary IL-35 level is decreased in both periodontitis and type 2 diabetes. However, diabetes mellitus does not exacerbate this decline in patients with periodontitis

Cold atmospheric plasma is a potent tool to improve chemotherapy in melanoma in vitro and in vivo

Malignant melanoma is a devastating disease. Because of its aggressiveness, it also serves as a model tumor for investigating novel therapeutic avenues. In recent years, scientific evidence has shown that cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) might be a promising modality in cancer therapy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of CAP generated by an argon plasma jet alone or in combination with dacarbazine (DAC) on melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. The effects of the CAP on inducing lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide production were higher in B16 melanoma cells in comparison to non-malignant L929 cells. Assays on cell growth, apoptosis, and expression of genes related to, e.g., autophagic processes, showed CAP to have a substantial impact in melanoma cells while there were only minoreffects in L929 cells. In vivo, both CAP monotherapy and combination with DAC significantly decreased tumor growth. These results suggest that CAP not only selectively induces cell death in melanoma but also holds promises in combination with chemotherapy that might lead to improved tumor control. © 2020 by the authors