TEST RESULTS OF HIGH TEMPERATURE STEAM/CO2 CO-ELECTROLYSIS IN A 10-CELL STACK

High temperature coelectrolysis experiments with CO2 / H2O mixtures were performed in a 10-cell planar solid oxide stack. Results indicated that stack apparent ASR values were shown not to vary significantly between pure steam electrolysis and steam / CO2 coelectrolysis values. Product gas compositions measured via an online micro gas chromatograph (GC) showed excellent agreement to predictions obtained from a chemical equilibrium coelectrolysis model developed for this study. Experimentally determined open cell potentials and thermal neutral voltages for coelectrolysis compared favorably to predictions obtained from a chemical equilibrium coelectrolysis and energy balance model, also developed for this study

A comparison of visual and semiquantitative analysis methods for planar cardiac 123I-MIBG scintigraphy in dementia with Lewy bodies.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac I-MIBG imaging is an established technique for the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies but various analysis methods are reported in the literature. We assessed different methods in the same cohort of patients to inform best practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, 15 with Alzheimer's disease and 16 controls were included. Planar images were acquired 20 min and 4 h after injection. Nine operators produced heart-to-mediastinum ratios (HMRs) using freehand and 6, 7 and 8 cm diameter circular cardiac regions. Interoperator variation was measured using the coefficient of variation. HMR differences between methods were assessed using analysis of variance. Seven raters assessed the images visually. Accuracy was compared using receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in HMR between region methods (P=0.006). However, with optimised cut-offs there was no significant difference in accuracy (P=0.2-1.0). The sensitivity was 65-71% and specificity 100% for all HMR methods. Variation was lower with fixed regions than freehand (P<0.001). Visual rating sensitivity and specificity were 65 and 77% on early images and 76 and 71% on delayed images. There was no significant difference in HMR between early and delayed images (P=0.4-0.7) although a greater separation between means was seen on delayed images (0.73 vs. 0.95). CONCLUSION: HMR analysis using a suitable cut-off is more accurate than visual rating. Accuracy is similar for all methods, but freehand regions are more variable and 6 cm circles easiest to place. We recommend calculating HMR using a 6 cm circular cardiac region of interest on delayed images

Analyses of Sweet Receptor Gene (Tas1r2) and Preference for Sweet Stimuli in Species of Carnivora

The extent to which taste receptor specificity correlates with, or even predicts, diet choice is not known. We recently reported that the insensitivity to sweeteners shown by species of Felidae can be explained by their lacking of a functional Tas1r2 gene. To broaden our understanding of the relationship between the structure of the sweet receptors and preference for sugars and artificial sweeteners, we measured responses to 12 sweeteners in 6 species of Carnivora and sequenced the coding regions of Tas1r2 in these same or closely related species. The lion showed no preference for any of the 12 sweet compounds tested, and it possesses the pseudogenized Tas1r2. All other species preferred some of the natural sugars, and their Tas1r2 sequences, having complete open reading frames, predict functional sweet receptors. In addition to preferring natural sugars, the lesser panda also preferred 3 (neotame, sucralose, and aspartame) of the 6 artificial sweeteners. Heretofore, it had been reported that among vertebrates, only Old World simians could taste aspartame. The observation that the lesser panda highly preferred aspartame could be an example of evolutionary convergence in the identification of sweet stimul

Results Of Recent High Temperature Co-Electrolysis Studies At The Idaho National Laboratory

For the past several years, the Idaho National Laboratory and Ceramatec, Inc. have been studying the feasibility of high temperature solid oxide electrolysis for large-scale, nuclear-powered hydrogen production. Parallel to this effort, the INL and Ceramatec have been researching high temperature solid oxide co-electrolysis of steam/CO2 mixtures to produce syngas, the raw material for synthetic fuels production. When powered by nuclear energy, high temperature co-electrolysis offers a carbon-neutral means of syngas production while consuming CO2. The INL has been conducting experiments to characterize the electrochemical performance of co-electrolysis, as well as validate INL-developed computer models. An inline methanation reactor has also been tested to study direct methane production from co-electrolysis products. Testing to date indicate that high temperature steam electrolysis cells perform equally well under co-electrolysis conditions. Process model predictions compare well with measurements for outlet product compositions. The process appears to be a promising technique for large-scale syngas production

SYNGAS PRODUCTION VIA HIGH-TEMPERATURE CO-ELECTROLYSIS OF STEAM AND CARBON DIOXIDE IN A SOLID-OXIDE STACK

This paper presents results of recent experiments conducted at the INL studying coelectrolysis of steam and carbon dioxide in a 10-cell high-temperature solid-oxide electrolysis stack. Coelectrolysis is complicated by the fact that the reverse shift reaction occurs concurrently with the electrolytic reduction reactions. All reactions must be properly accounted for when evaluating results. Electrochemical performance of the stack was evaluated over a range of temperatures, compositions, and flow rates. The apparatus used for these tests is heavily instrumented, with precision mass-flow controllers, on-line dewpoint and CO2 sensors, and numerous pressure and temperature measurement stations. It also includes a gas chromatograph for analyzing outlet gas compositions. Comparisons of measured compositions to predictions obtained from a chemical equilibrium co-electrolysis model are presented, along with corresponding polarization curves. Results indicate excellent agreement between predicted and measured outlet compositions. Coelectrolysis significantly increases the yield of syngas over the reverse water gas shift reaction equilibrium composition. The process appears to be a promising technique for large-scale syngas production

Nanoparticles of Cu2ZnSnS4 as performance enhancing additives for organic field-effect transistors

The addition of oleylamine coated Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticles to solutions of an organic semiconductor used to fabricate organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) has been investigated. The oligothiophene-based small molecule 5T-TTF and the polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) were each applied in the transistors with various concentrations of CZTS (5-20%). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied to characterise the surface morphology of the OFETs. The use of 5 and 10 wt% of the CZTS nanoparticles in 5T-TTF and P3HT solutions, respectively, appears to be a simple and effective way of improving OFET performance

Forest floor depth mediates understory vigor in xeric Pinus palustris ecosystems

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands and savannas are among the most frequently burned ecosystems in the world with fire return intervals of 1-10 years. This fire regime has maintained high levels of biodiversity in terms of both species richness and endemism. Land use changes have reduced the area of this ecosystem by >95%, and inadequate fire frequencies threaten many of the remnants today. In the absence of frequent fire, rapid colonization of hardwoods and shrubs occurs, and a broad-leaved midstory develops. This midstory encroachment has been the focus of much research and management concern, largely based on the assumption that the midstory reduces understory plant diversity through direction competition via light interception. The general application of this mechanism of degradation is questionable, however, because midstory density, leaf area, and hardwood species composition vary substantially along a soil moisture gradient from mesic to extremely xeric sites. Reanalysis of recently reported data from xeric longleaf pine communities suggests that the development of the forest floor, a less conspicuous change in forest structure, might cause a decline in plant biodiversity when forests remain unburned. We report here a test of the interactions among fire, litter accumulation, forest floor development, and midstory canopy density on understory plant diversity. Structural equation modeling showed that within xeric sites, forest floor development was the primary factor explaining decreased biodiversity. The only effects of midstory development on biodiversity were those mediated through forest floor development. Boundary line analysis of functional guilds of understory plants showed sensitivity to even minor development of the forest floor in the absence of fire. These results challenge the prevailing management paradigm and suggest that within xeric longleaf pine communities, the primary focus of managed fire regime should be directed toward the restoration of forest floor characteristics rather than the introduction of high-intensity fires used to regulate midstory structure.Peer reviewedForestr

Correction: Nanoparticles of Cu2ZnSnS4 as performance enhancing additives for organic field-effect transistors

Correction for 'Nanoparticles of Cu2ZnSnS4 as performance enhancing additives for organic field-effect transistors' by Punarja Kevin et al., J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016, DOI: 10.1039/c6tc01650b

High Temperature Limit of the Confining Phase

The deconfining transition in non-Abelian gauge theory is known to occur by a condensation of Wilson lines. By expanding around an appropriate Wilson line background, it is possible at large $N$ to analytically continue the confining phase to arbitrarily high temperatures, reaching a weak coupling confinement regime. This is used to study the high temperature partition function of an $SU(N)$ electric flux tube. It is found that the partition function corresponds to that of a string theory with a number of world-sheet fields that diverges at short distance.Comment: 13 page