Particulate Emission Abatement for Krakow Boilerhouses.

Environmental clean-up and pollution control are considered the foremost national priorities in Poland. The target of this cleanup is the Polish coal industry, which supplies the fuel to generate over 78% of Poland`s primary energy production. This project addresses the problem of airborne dust and uncontrolled particulate emissions from boilerhouses, which represent a large fraction of the total in Poland. In Krakow alone, there are more than 2,000 uncontrolled boilers accounting for about half the total fuel use. The large number of low-capacity boilers poses both technical and economic challenges, since the cost of control equipment is a significant factor in the reduction of emissions. A new concept in dust collection, called a Core Separator, is proposed for this important application. The Core Separator is an advanced technology developed through research sponsored by the Department of Energy. It utilizes a highly efficient collector, which functions on the principle of inertial separation. The system is able to control fine particulate matter, as in the PMIO regulations, which limit the emission of dust particles below 10 microns in diameter. Its dust removal performance has been shown to be comparable to that of a medium-efficiency electrostatic precipitator (ESP). Yet, its cost is substantially lower than that of either an ESP or fabric filter. While the Core Separator achieves high efficiency, its power consumption is just slightly higher than that of a cyclone. It functions dry and without the aid of energy-consuming enhancements. It is simple, reliable, and unlike the ESP and fabric filter, easy to maintain. This combination of features make it ideal for the small boiler market in the City of Krakow. A highly qualified team has been assembled to execute this project. LSR Technologies, Inc., a technology-based company located in Acton, Massachusetts, is the developer of the Core Separator and holder of its patent rights. LSR has sold several of these units in the U.S. and Europe. Ecolnstal, a leading supplier of environmental equipment in Poland, is licensed to sell the Core Separator, and will support LSR as a subcontractor. The Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency (FEWE), located in Katowice, is a consulting organization with extensive expertise in the Polish economy and natural environment. FEWE is also be a subcontractor to LSR. This project will be divided into three major phases. Phase 1 is called `Infrastructure Studies` and includes business planning, and site-selection of a full-scale Core Separator Demonstration Unit. Phase 2, called `Commercial Development,` includes the first Demonstration Unit in a local boilerhouse, followed by several Core Separator installations collecting flyash from different Polish coals. Also, a manufacturing facility is to be equipped to accommodate the projected sales volume. If the goals of this project are met and the Core Separator can be successfully marketed, there is a potential to significantly reduce particulate emissions in Krakow

Termination of auto narration as a creative thinking process

Creativity is now an exposed trait. This is due to the high need for innovation, original and useful solutions that serve the development of the organization, their effective market entry and long-term survival. This publication is a collection of papers prepared under The First National Conference “CREATIVE VIBES. Kreatywnością napędzamy gospodarkę”, whose aim was to stir issues concerning the significance of creativity from the point of view of the development of innovative economy, as well as to draw attention to the role of creativity in the education process of students and its impact on the development of professional competence.The article proves that the competence of creativity is connected with the narrative competences. It explains how the awareness of auto-narration affects the creative abilities of people aged 18– 35. It concludes that it is impossible to be creative without knowledge of oneself. Here, I present the concept of auto narrative training that I have developed based on Christopher Vogler’s idea of the hero’s journey, concepts of creative thinking processes, narrative psychology, and narratology. The training is supposed to stimulate creative and narrative thinking as well as strengthen creativity. The article focuses on small narrations, which are understood as outspoken monologues. It brings the concept of the magical power of a story as an instrument of achieving self-awareness. I intend to answer the question as to whether the improvement of our narrative skills stimulates our creativity

Technology GRAVIMELT and possibilities of their application in preparation of Slovak brown coal

The results of alkaline treatment tests on Slovak brown coal (from Nováky, Handlová and Cíge¾ localities) using the MCL procedure (Gravimelt) are presented in this paper. On the basis of conclusions of an optimal variant of the technology, the samples were pre-treated and submitted to a subsequent test at the NAOH/coal ratio = 1.0. The recovery of chemically treated coal, effectiveness of desulphurization and ash removal were assessed. This treatment procedure is less suitable for Slovak brown coal

Studies on the inhibition of bovine plasma amine oxidase by hydrazines

Several aspects of the potent inhibition of bovine plasma amine oxidase (PAO) by hydrazines were investigated by kinetic and preparative means. The inhibition was classified as pseudo-irreversible by the method of Ackerman and Potter (Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med. 72, 1 (1949), and was found to exhibit Zone B kinetic behavior (Straus and Goldstein, J. Gen. Physiol. 26, 559 (1943)). The constancy of the mole ratio of inhibitor to enzyme which produced 50% inhibition, (I/E)₅₀, for PAO preparations of different degrees of purity demonstrated the unique specificity of these inhibitors for PAO. Inhibitor potency as a function of structure was found to parallel the reactivity of these hydrazines towards carbonyls in model systems. The kinetically determined amount of (unsubstituted) hydrazine which produced 100% inhibition was found to correspond exactly with the reported pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) content of the enzyme. The isolation of a ¹⁴C-labelled EI complex confirmed this stoichiometry. These results, coupled with the spectral observations of Yamada and Yasunobu (J. Biol. Chem. 238, 2669 (1963)) led to the conclusion that the inhibition most likely proceeded from a nucleophilic attack of the hydrazine molecule on the carbonyl of the enzyme's PLP to form a stable azomethine via a transaldiminization reaction. The kinetic competition observed between hydrazines and substrate indicated that they react with PAO at the same site, PLP, thus confirming the proposal originated by Tabor, Tabor, and Rosenthal (J. Biol. Chem. 208, 645 (1954)) that PLP is involved in the active site. Inhibitor potency was found to decrease with increasing N-methyl substitution in a manner which could not be related exclusively to either steric or inductive effects of the substituents, but rather, depended on the presence or absence of a hydrogen alpha to the attacking nucleophilic -NH₂ on the hydrazine molecule. Thus, binding of hydrazines to the catalytic site of PAO may involve a three-point attachment. Therefore, the active site of PAO can be visualized to contain two subsites: one which binds the α-H of hydrazines or substrates by non-covalent forces, which functions to optimally orient the molecule for the chemical reaction at the enzyme's primary site, PLP. The titration of PAO by hydrazines was found to exhibit a biphasic response. Low inhibitor concentrations enhanced PAO activity, but high concentrations inhibited. This apparent homotropic cooperative effect suggested the presence of an allosteric site for the binding of these inhibitors. PAO was found to exhibit anomalous kinetic order with respect to substrate in the presence of hydrazines; v vs. (S) curves were sigmoidal. Normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics were followed in the absence of these inhibitors, indicating that the binding of a hydrazine molecule by the enzyme potentiated an effect which resulted in the binding of more than substrate molecule. High substrate inhibition of PAO was found to conform to the Haldane mechanism. The dissymmetry of v vs. log (S) plots indicated that at high substrate concentrations PAO binds more than two substrate molecules. Thus, PAO may contain an allosteric site for substrate as well as for hydrazines. A hypothetical model is presented which accounts for these experimental observations in terms of the nature and interaction of PAO's inhibitor and substrate binding sites. PAO was found to undergo a time- and concentration-dependent activation in dilute solution at room temperature, pH 7.0, in the presence or absence of hydrazines which could not be attributed to the presence of an endogenous activator or inhibitor (v vs. (E) plots were linear). Gel-filtration experiments revealed that the activation in the absence of hydrazines was not caused by a shift in the monomer- polymer equilibrium or the dissociation of PAO into subunits. Only one species was eluted from the column (which had a molecular weight corresponding to that of the monomer) whether the enzyme was activated or not. This peak was likewise independent of PAO concentration. These results led to the conclusion that the activation of the enzyme in the absence of inhibitor is most likely due to a conformational change. The activation of the inhibited enzyme was found to be greater than that of the "enzyme alone" control; in other words, the inhibition appeared to be reversed. This reversal of inhibition was found to follow first order (with respect to (EI) kinetics indicating that it was caused by the catalytic decomposition of the hydrazine inhibitors by the enzyme

Heat-induced Proteome Changes in Tomato Leaves

Three tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivars [Walter LA3465 (heat-tolerant), Edkawi LA 2711 (unknown heat tolerance, salt-tolerant), and LA1310 (cherry tomato)] were compared for changes in leaf proteomes after heat treatment. Seedlings with four fully expanded leaves were subjected to heat treatment of 39/25 °C at a 16:8 h light–dark cycle for 7 days. Leaves were collected at 1200 hr, 4 h after the light cycle started. For ‘Walter’ LA3465, heat-suppressed proteins were geranylgeranyl reductase, ferredoxin-NADP (+) reductase, Rubisco activase, transketolase, phosphoglycerate kinase precursor, fructose–bisphosphate aldolase, glyoxisomal malate dehydrogenase, catalase, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase, and methionine synthase. Two enzymes were induced, cytosolic NADP-malic enzyme and superoxide dismutase. For ‘Edkawi’ LA2711, nine enzymes were suppressed: ferredoxin-NADP (+) reductase, Rubisco activase, S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, methioine synthase, glyoxisomal malate dehydrogenase, enolase, flavonol synthase, M1 family peptidase, and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase. Heat-induced proteins were cyclophilin, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, transketolase, phosphoglycolate phosphatase, ATPase, photosystem II oxygen-evolving complex 23, and NAD-dependent epimerase/dehydratase. For cherry tomato LA1310, heat-suppressed proteins were aminotransferase, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase, L-ascorbate peroxidase, lactoylglutathione lyase, and Rubisco activase. Heat-induced enzymes were glyoxisomal malate dehydrogenase, phosphoribulokinasee, and ATP synthase. This research resulted in the identification of proteins that were induced/repressed in all tomato cultivars evaluated (e.g., Rubisco activase, methionine synthase, adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase, and others) and those differentially expressed (e.g., transketolase)

The role of dobutamine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance in the clinical management of patients with suspected and known coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated the consistently high diagnostic and prognostic value of dobutamine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DCMR). The value of DCMR for clinical decision making still needs to be defined. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess the utility of DCMR regarding clinical management of patients with suspected and known coronary artery disease (CAD) in a routine setting. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively performed a standard DCMR examination in 1532 consecutive patients with suspected and known CAD. Patients were stratified according to the results of DCMR: DCMR-positive patients were recommended to undergo invasive coronary angiography and DCMR-negative patients received optimal medical treatment. Of 609 (40%) DCMR-positive patients coronary angiography was performed in 478 (78%) within 90 days. In 409 of these patients significant coronary stenoses ≥ 50% were present (positive predictive value 86%). Of 923 (60%) DCMR-negative patients 833 (90%) received optimal medical therapy. During a mean follow-up period of 2.1 ± 0.8 years (median: 2.1 years, interquartile range 1.5 to 2.7 years) 8 DCMR-negative patients (0.96%) sustained a cardiac event.In 131 DCMR-positive patients who did not undergo invasive angiography, 20 patients (15%) suffered cardiac events. In 90 DCMR-negative patients (10%) invasive angiography was performed within 2 years (range 0.01 to 2.0 years) with 56 patients having coronary stenoses ≥ 50%. CONCLUSION: In a routine setting DCMR proved a useful arbiter for clinical decision making and exhibited high utility for stratification and clinical management of patients with suspected and known CAD