Non-Toxic Renewable Energy Storage via Solar Thermal Decoupled Electrolysis of Iron Oxide

Widespread adoption of renewable solar energy is currently limited by a lack of long term storage commodities. As a preferred option, fuels satisfy flexible requirements including transportability, high energy density, and in the case of hydrogen, clean combustion. Here we will outline a method of producing hydrogen using an iron oxide-based system, which was selected due to its non-toxicity and relative abundance. First, the iron oxide hematite would be decomposed in a solar furnace, producing oxygen and magnetite. Next, the magnetite is reacted through electrolysis to produce hydrogen gas and regenerate the hematite precursor. Two electrochemical methods of testing this reaction were performed with variable temperature and pH; one with magnetite deposited on steel surfaces, and another with magnetite dissolved in etidronic acid. Finally, the pH of the etidronic acid solution was raised to precipitate the phase pure hematite completing the cycle

Letter, 1980 October 2, from Betty Jackson King to Gene E. Vollen

1 page, Vollen was the Chairperson of the Music Department at Pittsburg State University. King is the Presidnt of The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. There is a newletter from the association

Attitudes of Potential Employers in Southwestern Virginia Toward Hiring Newly Licensed Physical Therapist Assistants Who are Graduates of the Wytheville Community College Physical Therapist Assistant Program

The research goals included: 1. Did employers of physical therapist assistants feel positively toward graduates of the Wytheville Community College Physical Therapist Assistant program? 2. Would an employer prioritize a new graduate from Wytheville over a new graduate from any other program if all other applicable experience was equal? 3. What did employers identify as the strengths and weaknesses of the Wytheville program

Low-speed inducers for cryogenic upper-stage engines

Two-phase, low-speed hydrogen and oxygen inducers driven by electric motors and applicable to the tug engine were designed and constructed. The oxygen inducer was tested in liquid and two-phase oxygen. Its head and flow performance were approximately as designed, and it was able to accelerate to full speed in 3 seconds and produce its design flow and head. The analysis of the two-phase data indicated that the inducer was able to pump with vapor volume fractions in excess of 60 percent. The pump met all of its requirements (duration of runs and number of starts) to demonstrate its mechanical integrity

Researching maternal, neonatal and child health service use in rural and pastoralist Ethiopia: A key informant research approach

Like many nations in sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia has both a high neonatal mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio and is unlikely to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 by 2015. This working paper examines how Key Informant Research (KIR) in rural and pastoralist Ethiopia will identify facilitators and barriers to the use of maternal, neonatal and child health services. The methodology is informed by Participative Ethnographic Evaluation Research (PEER) and Key Informant Monitoring (KIM). Key Informant Research (KIR) training will provide research skills to Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and Non-government organisation (NGO) staff to enable them to develop research questions, collect data and participate in preliminary data analysis. This will enable the identification of strategies that improve the identification of risk, enhance early referral, increase access, affordability and acceptability of skilled birthing services in rural and pastoralist Ethiopia

Efficient high power operation of erbium 3 µm fibre laser diode-pumped at 975 nm

Efficient CW operation of a 2.71 um Er,Pr:ZBLAN double-clad fibre laser pumped with a single diode laser operating at a wavelength of 975 nm is described. A maximum output power of 0.5 W and a slope efficiency of 25% (with respect to the launched pump power) were obtained. Threshold pump powers of < 200 mW launched were measured and consistent relaxation oscillations in the output from the fibre laser indicate the presence of a saturable absorption mechanism

Dissolving Magnets: Etidronic Acid Facilitated Solvation of Magnetite

Widespread adoption of renewable solar energy is currently limited by a lack of long term storage solutions. As a preferred option, fuels satisfy flexible requirements including transportability, high energy density, and in the case of hydrogen, clean combustion. The Valparaiso University Solar Energy Research Facility is capable of performing solar-driven conversion of pure Iron(III) solid Hematite to Iron(II)-rich solid Magnetite. Correspondingly, our goal is the optimization of hydrogen evolution from water alongside the reciprocal conversion of solid Magnetite to solid Hematite. Out of the three common phases of matter, solids are the least reactive considering their chemistry is constrained through surface area. In order to facilitate our reaction, we dissolved Magnetite in water using a solvating agent, Hydroxyethylidene Diphosphonic Acid (HEDP). When HEDP is added, it breaks apart the solid Magnetite allowing the Iron atoms to move freely in solution, subsequently increasing reactivity. The concentration of dissolved Iron was quantified by Beer-Lambert Law using ultraviolet visible spectrum absorbance values. Over the course of this summer we have assessed the solubility of Magnetite at variable pH’s and temperatures. Our system was able to quantifiably dissolve Magnetite up to pH 5, the equivalent of dissolving refrigerator magnets in water with the same relative corrosiveness as a cup of coffee