Gasification and Co-gasification Low-rank Coal with Biomass

Recently, there has been significant research interest in cogasification of coaland various types of biomass blends to improve biomass gasification and syngasproduction. In addition, ash present in biomass catalyses the gasification of coal. This experiment was conducted on the cogasification of various types of coal and biomass using drop tube gasifier under two sets temperatures 1173 and 1273K respectively. Most of the reactions are considered as endothermic, the heat input is needed to conduct the reactions. The additions of biomass to NL coal during co-gasification give no effect on gasification, since the reaction is endothermic. The increasing temperature from 1173 to 1273K only give small increase in the yield gas and efficiency due to the short of residence tim

Paper No 22 EFFECT OF COAL TYPE ON EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS IN PARTICULATE MATTERS

ABSTRACT Some metal compounds in coal vaporize and form fumes during combustion. The fumes are generally exhausted through the flue gas. For coal-fired combined power generation systems such as pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC), hot vapors may contact with the surfaces of gas-turbine blades. As this contact of the hot vapors with the surface has corrosive effect, it is necessary to control the formation of those fumes, which mainly contain alkali metal compounds. In this paper, the evolution behavior of alkali metal compounds, especially for sodium compounds, has been studied, using an electrically heated drop tube furnace with a low-pressure impactor. The main objective in this study is to elucidate the conditions and the possible mechanisms to form alkali metal compounds in particulate matter during combustion. Two types of coal with different sodium content were tested, where the coal conversion characteristics were established. Furthermore, the evolution and inclusion of sodium compounds into the sub-micron particles were studied in relation to the particle size distribution formed and sodium fraction distribution in the collected fine particulates. The study proved that the evolution and inclusion of sodium in the sub-micron particles depended on function of type of coal via its composition and the form by which sodium compounds existed in coal. The reaction-controlled mechanism and heterogeneous condensation via chemical reactions during combustion affected the inclusion of sodium in the sub-micron particles. In the coarse particles of above about 0.5 µm, reaction that formed those particles was mainly via gas film diffusion surrounding the particle

Residential proximity to major roads and adverse birth outcomes: a hospital-based study

Background: Exposure to air pollution has been demonstrated to increase the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight (LBW). Although evidence has accumulated on characteristics associated with increased risk of air pollution-related health effects, most studies have been conducted in the adult population and evidence on reproductive outcomes is limited. We examined whether socio-economic position (SEP) and parental characteristics (parental behavior and co-morbidity) modified the relationship between air pollution and adverse birth outcomes. Methods: Data were extracted from a perinatal hospital database based in Shizuoka, Japan. We restricted the analysis to mothers who delivered live-born single births from January 1997 to December 2010 (n = 16,615). Each birth was assigned proximity to major roads. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the outcomes of preterm birth and term LBW. We stratified subjects by individual/area-level SEP and parental characteristics. We then measured interactions on the additive scale between the respective factors and exposure. Results: Lower SEP at both individual and area levels was associated with the increased occurrence of adverse birth outcomes. Living within 200 m from a major road increased the risk of preterm birth by 1.5 times (95% CI: 1.3-1.9) and LBW by 1.2 times (95% CI: 0.9-1.6). Mothers with lower individual SEP defined by household occupation experienced higher ORs for term LBW (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.2-8.2) compared with those with higher individual SEP. In contrast, mothers who lived in the highest area-level SEP region (i.e., affluent areas) showed slightly higher point estimates compared with those who lived in middle or poor areas. In addition, maternal diabetic and hypertensive status modified the association between proximity and preterm birth, while maternal smoking status modified the association between proximity and term LBW. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that air pollution is an independent risk factor for adverse birth outcomes. Mothers with lower individual SEP and mothers living in higher SEP region may be susceptible to the adverse effect of air pollution. Maternal diabetic, hypertensive, and smoking status may also increase susceptibility to this air pollution-related health effect

Trends of preterm birth and low birth weight in Japan: a one hospital-based study

Background: The proportions of preterm birth (PTB, ie., delivered before 37 gestational weeks) and low birth weight (LBW, ie., birth weight less than 2500 g at delivery) have been rising in developed countries. We sought to examine the factors contributing to the rise in Japan, with particular focus on the effects of obstetric interventions. Methods: We used a database maintained by one large regional hospital in Shizuoka, Japan. We restricted the analysis to mothers who delivered live singleton births from 1997 to 2010 (n = 19,221). We assessed the temporal trends in PTB and LBW, then divided the study period into four intervals and compared the proportions of PTB and LBW. We also compared the newborns’ outcomes between the intervals. Results: PTB, in particular medically indicated PTB, increased considerably. The increase was largely explained by changes in caesarean sections. The neonatal outcomes did not worsen, and instead the Apgar scores and proportions requiring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission improved. In particular, the risks of NICU admission in the interval from 2007 to 2010 were decreased among all births [odds ratio (OR): 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75, 0.95] and medically indicated births (OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.68) compared with the interval from 1997 to 2000. Conclusions: Despite the increases in PTB as well as LBW, the present study suggests benefits of obstetric interventions. Rather than simple categorization of PTB or LBW, indicators such as perinatal mortality or other outcomes may be more appropriate for evaluation of perinatal health in developed countries

Digenic inheritance of mutations in EPHA2 and SLC26A4 in Pendred syndrome

Enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) is one of the most commonly identified inner ear malformations in hearing loss patients including Pendred syndrome. While biallelic mutations of the SLC26A4 gene, encoding pendrin, causes non-syndromic hearing loss with EVA or Pendred syndrome, a considerable number of patients appear to carry mono-allelic mutation. This suggests faulty pendrin regulatory machinery results in hearing loss. Here we identify EPHA2 as another causative gene of Pendred syndrome with SLC26A4. EphA2 forms a protein complex with pendrin controlling pendrin localization, which is disrupted in some pathogenic forms of pendrin. Moreover, point mutations leading to amino acid substitution in the EPHA2 gene are identified from patients bearing mono-allelic mutation of SLC26A4. Ephrin-B2 binds to EphA2 triggering internalization with pendrin inducing EphA2 autophosphorylation weakly. The identified EphA2 mutants attenuate ephrin-B2- but not ephrin-A1-induced EphA2 internalization with pendrin. Our results uncover an unexpected role of the Eph/ephrin system in epithelial function

Associations between the orexin (hypocretin) receptor 2 gene polymorphism Val308Ile and nicotine dependence in genome-wide and subsequent association studies

Impact of the HCRTR2 gene risk variant on schizotypal personality traits (mean ± SD). (DOC 54 kb