Tensile strength of ash cake beds at high-temperature conditions

The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) is working with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and a consortium of companies in partnership with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to perform the research necessary to determine the factors that cause hot-gas cleanup filters to be blinded by ash or to develop deposits that can bridge the filters and cause them to fail. The primary deliverable will be a graphics-driven computer model that can be used as an engineering tool to help predict ash-related hot-gas filter problems based on analyses of coal and sorbent, as well as system operating parameters. This paper presents preliminary testing data on determining the tensile strengths of coal ash particles at elevated temperatures and simulated combustor gas conditions. The range in temperatures for tensile testing is ambient to 900 C. The simulated gas atmosphere includes carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, sodium chloride, hydrochloric acid, and nitrogen. At present, all testing has been performed using ash from the Westinghouse advanced particle filter (APF) at the American Electric Power Service Corporation (AEP) Tidd pressurized fluidized-bed combustor (PFBC) demonstration plant in Ohio. Other sources of filter ashes, including several from non-American PFBC systems, will also be evaluated

Annotated bibliography of research in the teaching of English

The committee reviews important research works in the teaching of English that have been published in the last year. Committee members include Richard Beach, Martha Bigelow, Martine Braaksma, Deborah Dillon, Jessie Dockter, Lee Galda, Lori Helman, Tanja Janssen, Karen Jorgensen, Richa Kapoor, Lauren Liang, Bic Ngo, David O’Brien, Mistilina Sato, and Cassie Scharber

Hot-Gas Filter Ash Characterization Project

Large-scale hot-gas testing over the past several years has revealed numerous cases of cake buildup on filter elements that have been difficult, if not impossible to remove. At times, the cake can bridge between candle filters, leading to high filter failure rates. Physical factors, including particle-size distribution, particle shape, the aerodynamics of deposition, and system temperature contribute to difficulty in removing the cake. It is speculated that chemical as well as physical effects are playing a role in leading the ash to bond to the filter or to itself. The Energy and Environmental research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota is working with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and a consortium of companies in partnership with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to perform the research necessary to determine the factors that cause hot-gas cleanup filters to be blinded by ash or to develop deposits that can bridge the filters and cause them to fail. The objectives of this overall project are threefold: first, to determine the mechanisms by which difficult-to-clean ash is formed; second, to develop a method to determine the rate of blinding/bridging based on fuel and sorbent properties and operating conditions; finally, to provide suggestions fro ways to prevent filter blinding by the troublesome ash. The projects consists of four tasks: field sampling and archive sample analyses, laboratory-scale testing, bench-scale testing, and model and database development testing. This paper present preliminary data from Task 2 on determining the tensile strengths of coal ash particles at elevated temperatures and simulated combustor gas conditions

Performance and Diagnostic Accuracy of a Urine-Based Human Papillomavirus Assay in a Referral Population

Cancer Research UK Programme grant C569/A16891 provided funding to J.M. Cuzick, supplemented by financial contributions and assay kits to J.M. Cuzick from Trovagene, Qiagen, BD, Abbott, Genera, Hologic and Oncohealth

The role of chick Ebf genes in the mediolateral patterning of the somites

This study was conducted to check whether the three chick Early B-cell Factor (Ebf) genes, particularly cEbf1, would be targets for Shh and Bmp signals during somites mediolateral (ML) patterning. Tissue manipulations and gain and loss of function experiments for Shh and Bmp4 were performed and the results revealed that cEbf1 expression was initiated in the cranial presomitic mesoderm by low dose of Bmp4 from the lateral mesoderm and maintained in the ventromedial part of the epithelial somite and the medial sclerotome by Shh from the notochord; while cEbf2/3 expression was induced and maintained by Bmp4 and inhibited by high dose of Shh. To determine whether Ebf1 plays a role in somite patterning, transfection of a dominant-negative construct was carried out; this showed suppression of cPax1 expression in the medial sclerotome and upregulation and medial expansion of cEbf3 and cPax3 expression in sclerotome and dermomyotome, respectively, suggesting that Ebf1 is important for ML patterning. Thus, it is possible that low doses of Bmp4 set up Ebf1 expression which, together with Shh from the notochord, leads to establishment of the medial sclerotome and suppression of lateral identities. These data also conclude that Bmp4 is required in both the medial and lateral domain of the somitic mesoderm to keep the ML identity of the sclerotome through maintenance of cEbf gene expression. These striking findings are novel and give a new insight on the role of Bmp4 on mediolateral patterning of somites

Cure of Chronic Viral Infection and Virus-Induced Type 1 Diabetes by Neutralizing Antibodies

The use of neutralizing antibodies is one of the most successful methods to interfere with receptor–ligand interactions in vivo. In particular blockade of soluble inflammatory mediators or their corresponding cellular receptors was proven an effective way to regulate inflammation and/or prevent its negative consequences. However, one problem that comes along with an effective neutralization of inflammatory mediators is the general systemic immunomodulatory effect. It is, therefore, important to design a treatment regimen in a way to strike at the right place and at the right time in order to achieve maximal effects with minimal duration of immunosuppression or hyperactivation. In this review, we reflect on two examples of how short time administration of such neutralizing antibodies can block two distinct inflammatory consequences of viral infection. First, we review recent findings that blockade of IL-10/IL-10R interaction can resolve chronic viral infection and second, we reflect on how neutralization of the chemokine CXCL10 can abrogate virus-induced type 1 diabetes

Full genome of Phialocephala scopiformis DAOMC 229536, a fungal endophyte of spruce producing the potent anti-insectan compound rugulosin

We present the full genome of Phialocephala scopiformis DAOMC 229536 (Helotiales, Ascomycota), a foliar endophyte of white spruce from eastern Quebec. DAOMC 229536 produces the anti-insectan compound rugulosin, which inhibits a devastating forestry pest, the spruce budworm. This genome will enable fungal genotyping and host-endophyte evolutionary genomics in inoculated trees