Carbon capture from natural gas combined cycle power plants: Solvent performance comparison at an industrial scale

Natural gas is an important source of energy. This article addresses the problem of integrating an existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant with a carbon capture process using various solvents. The power plant and capture process have mutual interactions in terms of the flue gas flow rate and composition vs. the extracted steam required for solvent regeneration. Therefore, evaluating solvent performance at a single (nominal) operating point is not indicative and solvent performance should be considered subject to the overall process operability and over a wide range of operating conditions. In the present research, a novel optimization framework was developed in which design and operation of the capture process are optimized simultaneously and their interactions with the upstream power plant are fully captured. The developed framework was applied for solvent comparison which demonstrated that GCCmax, a newly developed solvent, features superior performances compared to the monoethanolamine baseline solvent

Iterative Outlier Removal: A Method for Identifying Outliers in Laboratory Recalibration Studies

Extreme values that arise for any reason, including through non-laboratory measurement procedure-related processes (inadequate mixing, evaporation, mislabeling), lead to outliers and inflate errors in recalibration studies. We present an approach termed iterative outlier removal (IOR) for identifying such outliers

Adjustment to colostomy: stoma acceptance, stoma care self-efficacy and interpersonal relationships

‘The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.’ Copyright Blackwell Publishing. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04446.xThis paper is a report of a study to examine adjustment and its relationship with stoma acceptance and social interaction, and the link between stoma care self-efficacy and adjustment in the presence of acceptance and social interactions.Peer reviewe

MR Imaging Measures of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Population-based Study

Our MR imaging protocol characterized individuals at greatest risk for having intracranial atherosclerotic disease lesions and offers a reliable technique for identifying lesions in patients with suspected disease

Partial Depletion of Natural CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells with Anti-CD25 Antibody Does Not Alter the Course of Acute Influenza A Virus Infection

Foxp3+ CD4+ regulatory T cells represent a T cell subset with well-characterized immunosuppressive effects during immune homeostasis and chronic infections, and there is emerging evidence to suggest these cells temper pulmonary inflammation in response to acute viral infection. Recent studies have demonstrated treatment with PC61 CD25-depleting antibody potentiates inflammation in a murine model of RSV infection, while paradoxically delaying recruitment of CD8+ T cells to the site of inflammation. The present study therefore sought to examine the role of these cells in a murine model of acute influenza A virus infection through the administration of PC61 CD25-depleting antibody. PC61 antibody is able to partially deplete CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells to a comparable degree as seen within previous work examining RSV, however this does not alter influenza A-virus induced mortality, weight loss, viral clearance and cellularity within the lung. Collectively, these data demonstrate that partial depletion of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells with PC61 antibody does not alter the course of influenza A virus infection

Electrodeposited lead dioxide coatings

Lead dioxide coatings on inert substrates such as titanium and carbon now offer new opportunities for a material known for 150 years. It is now recognised that electrodeposition allows the preparation of stable coatings with different phase structures and a wide range of surface morphologies. In addition, substantial modification to the physical properties and catalytic activities of the coatings are possible through doping and the fabrication of nanostructured deposits or composites. In addition to applications as a cheap anode material in electrochemical technology, lead dioxide coatings provide unique possibilities for probing the dependence of catalytic activity on layer composition and structure (critical review, 256 references)

In vitro digestion models to assess lipolysis: The impact of the simulated conditions of gastric and intestinal pH, bile salts and digestive fluids

[EN] In vitro digestion models are a valid methodology to study nutrient hydrolysis by simulating standard physiological gastrointestinal conditions. However, there are pathologies in which some conditions are affected, which should be considered in the design of an in vitro digestion study. Our work aims at elucidating the role of different gastrointestinal conditions on lipolysis. In the context of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, gastric pH, intestinal pH, bile salts composition, bile salts concentration, fat concentration in the digestion medium and volumetric ratio digestion fluid/food were the selected study parameters. The pH-stat method was applied to assess lipolysis extent and kinetics. Descriptive results were summarised in digestibility curves and beta regression models were used to explain the effect (odds ratio, OR) of the studied conditions on lipolysis. Additionally, distribution of emulsion droplets was measured and optical microscopy images of fat globules were taken in a selection of experimental conditions. Results showed that intestinal pH was the variable with the highest effect on lipolysis (OR 22.86, p < 0.001), followed by fat concentration in the digestion medium (OR 6.76, p < 0.001) and bile salts concentration (OR 1.56, p < 0.001). Overall, lipolysis was significantly associated with particle size (OR - 6.98, p < 0.001). We conclude that the assessment of lipolysis by means of in vitro digestion models is sensitive to the simulated gastrointestinal conditions, which should be adapted to the real physiological conditions occurring in altered health conditions.The authors of this paper, on behalf of MyCyFAPP consortium, acknowledge the European Union and the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme for funding the project (ref. 643806)Calvo-Lerma, J.; Fornes-Ferrer, V.; Heredia Gutiérrez, AB.; Andrés Grau, AM. (2019). In vitro digestion models to assess lipolysis: The impact of the simulated conditions of gastric and intestinal pH, bile salts and digestive fluids. Food Research International. 125:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108511S11012

Association of a Fasting Glucose Genetic Risk Score With Subclinical Atherosclerosis: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Elevated fasting glucose level is associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis. It is unclear if this association is causal. Using the principle of Mendelian randomization, we sought to explore the causal association between circulating glucose and IMT by examining the association of a genetic risk score with IMT. The sample was drawn from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and included 7,260 nondiabetic Caucasian individuals with IMT measurements and relevant genotyping. Components of the fasting glucose genetic risk score (FGGRS) were selected from a fasting glucose genome-wide association study in ARIC. The score was created by combining five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs780094 [GCKR], rs560887 [G6PC2], rs4607517 [GCK], rs13266634 [SLC30A8], and rs10830963 [MTNR1B]) and weighting each SNP by its strength of association with fasting glucose. IMT was measured through bilateral carotid ultrasound. Mean IMT was regressed on the FGGRS and on the component SNPs, individually. The FGGRS was significantly associated (P = 0.009) with mean IMT. The difference in IMT predicted by a 1 SD increment in the FGGRS (0.0048 mm) was not clinically relevant but was larger than would have been predicted based on observed associations between the FFGRS, fasting glucose, and IMT. Additional adjustment for baseline measured glucose in regression models attenuated the association by about one third. The significant association of the FGGRS with IMT suggests a possible causal association of elevated fasting glucose with atherosclerosis, although it may be that these loci influence IMT through nonglucose pathways