Hydrogen production by sorption-enhanced steam reforming of glycerol

Catalytic steam reforming of glycerol for H(2) production has been evaluated experimentally in a continuous flow fixed-bed reactor. The experiments were carried out under atmospheric pressure within a temperature range of 400-700 degrees C. A commercial Ni-based catalyst and a dolomite sorbent were used for the steam reforming reactions and in situ CO(2) removal. The product gases were measured by on-line gas analysers. The results show that H(2) productivity is greatly increased with increasing temperature and the formation of methane by-product becomes negligible above 500 degrees C. The results suggest an optimal temperature of approximately 500 degrees C for the glycerol steam reforming with in situ CO(2) removal using calcined dolomite as the sorbent, at which the CO(2) breakthrough time is longest and the H(2) purity is highest. The shrinking core model and the 1D-diffusion model describe well the CO(2) removal under the conditions of this work

What Might Interoceptive Inference Reveal about Consciousness?

The mainstream science of consciousness offers a few predominate views of how the brain gives rise to awareness. Chief among these are the Higher-Order Thought Theory, Global Neuronal Workspace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, and hybrids thereof. In parallel, rapid development in predictive processing approaches have begun to outline concrete mechanisms by which interoceptive inference shapes selfhood, affect, and exteroceptive perception. Here, we consider these new approaches in terms of what they might offer our empirical, phenomenological, and philosophical understanding of consciousness and its neurobiological roots

The Effect of Student Team Achievement Divisions (Stad) and Learning Motivation Toward the Students' Reading Competence of the Eighth Year Students of SMP N 3 Ubud in the Academic Year 2012/2013

This study was an experimental research which aimed at identifying the effect of implementation of Student Team Achievement Division (STAD) and learning motivation toward students' reading competence. This research used 2x2 factorial designs. The data collected through test and analyzed by using statistical Two-Way Anova and Tukey Test. The population was 4 classes (197 students) of grade VIII SMP Negeri 3 UBUD in academic year 2012/2013 in which 2 classes were chosen as the sample of the study. The chosen of two classes as a sample used intact Random Sampling. The results of the research were first, there was a significant different effect between the students taught by using STAD method and conventional method. Second, there was an effect of learning motivation toward student reading competence. Third, there was a significant interactional effect between implementation of student's team achievement division (STAD) and Learning motivation toward students reading competence. Forth, there was a significant different effect between the students having high motivation taught by using student team achievement division (STAD) and conventional method. Fifth, there was a significant different effect between the student having low motivation taught by using student team achievement division (STAD) and conventional method

Distinct emphysema subtypes defined by quantitative CT analysis are associated with specific pulmonary matrix metalloproteinases.

BACKGROUND: Emphysema is characterised by distinct pathological sub-types, but little is known about the divergent underlying aetiology. Matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes that can degrade the extracellular matrix and have been identified as potentially important in the development of emphysema. However, the relationship between MMPs and emphysema sub-type is unknown. We investigated the role of MMPs and their inhibitors in the development of emphysema sub-types by quantifying levels and determining relationships with these sub-types in mild-moderate COPD patients and ex/current smokers with preserved lung function. METHODS: Twenty-four mild-moderate COPD and 8 ex/current smokers with preserved lung function underwent high resolution CT and distinct emphysema sub-types were quantified using novel local histogram-based assessment of lung density. We analysed levels of MMPs and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and assessed their relationship with these emphysema sub-types. RESULTS: The most prevalent emphysema subtypes in COPD subjects were mild and moderate centrilobular (CLE) emphysema, while only small amounts of severe centrilobular emphysema, paraseptal emphysema (PSE) and panlobular emphysema (PLE) were present. MMP-3, and -10 associated with all emphysema sub-types other than mild CLE, while MMP-7 and -8 had associations with moderate and severe CLE and PSE. MMP-9 also had associations with moderate CLE and paraseptal emphysema. Mild CLE occurred in substantial quantities irrespective of whether airflow obstruction was present and did not show any associations with MMPs. CONCLUSION: Multiple MMPs are directly associated with emphysema sub-types identified by CT imaging, apart from mild CLE. This suggests that MMPs play a significant role in the tissue destruction seen in the more severe sub-types of emphysema, whereas early emphysematous change may be driven by a different mechanism. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number NCT01701869

Production and application of carbon nanotubes, as a co-product of hydrogen from the pyrolysis-catalytic reforming of waste plastic

Hydrogen production from waste plastics is an important alternative for managing waste plastics. This work addresses a promising technology for co-producing high value carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in addition to the production of hydrogen; thus significantly increasing the economic feasibility of the process. Catalyst design is a critical factor to control the production of hydrogen and CNTs. NiMnAl catalysts, prepared by a co-precipitation method, with different metal molar ratios were developed and investigated using a two-stage fixed-bed reactor. It was found that the NiMnAl catalyst with the higher Mn content produced a higher yield of carbon (57.7 wt.%). Analysis of the carbon on the NiMnAl catalysts showed it to consist of ∼90 wt.% of carbon nanotubes. The CNTs were recovered from the catalyst and added at 2 wt.% to LDPE plastic to form a composite material. The tensile and flexural strength and the tensile and flexural modulus of the CNT composite material were significantly improved by the addition of the recovered CNTs. Thus it is suggested that cost-effective CNTs could be produced from waste plastics as by-product of the production of hydrogen, enhancing the potential applications of CNTs in the composite industry

Studi Evaluatif Tentang Kualitas Pelaksanaan Pembelajaran Di SMP Negeri 3 Denpasar

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kualitas pelaksanaan pembelajaran di SMP Negeri 3 Denpasar ditinjau dari variabel konteks, masukan, proses dan produk. Penelitian ini termasuk penelitian evaluatif kuantitatif. Dalam penelitian ini menganalisis efektivitas program dengan model CIPP. Jumlah anggota sampel sebanyak 60 orang yang terdiri dari seluruh guru yang ada di SMP Negeri 3 Denpasar. Data dikumpulkan dengan menggunakan kuesioner dan dianalisis dengan menggunakan analisis deskriptif. Skor mentah yang diperoleh dalam penelitian ditransformasikan ke dalam T-skor kemudian diverifikasi ke dalam prototype Glickman.Hasil analisis menemukan bahwa kualitas pelaksanaan pembelajaran di SMP Negeri 3 Denpasar dapat dikategori efektif dilihat dari variabel konteks, input, proses dan produk.Hal ini disebabkan evaluasi CIPP yang digunakan mengacu pada standar proses. Untuk itu disarankan kepada: (1) Kepada Kepala Sekolah diharapkan dapat melakukan pengembangan sumber daya manusia di lingkungan sekolah (2) guru SMP Negeri 3 Denpasar hendaknya selalu meningkatkan kompetensi dan sumber daya yang dimiliki melalui kegiatan pelatihan. Kata kunci: Kualitas, Pembelajaran, Studi Evaluatif Abstrac This research aimed to determine the quality of learning at SMP 3 Denpasar based on context variable, inputs, processes, and product. This research was a quantitative evaluative analysis. This experiment tried to analyze the program effectively using CIPP model. The number of samples that had been used in this research was about 60 people consisted of all teachers at SMP 3 Denpasar. Data was collected with questioners and analyzed by descriptive analysis. Raw score that found out in this research was transformed into T-score and then was verified to Glickman prototype. The analysis results show that the quality of learning process at SMP 3 Denpasar can be categorized as effective that can be seen from process standard, inputs, processes and products. This is as a result of CIPP implementation refers to process standard. It can be suggested for (1) principal of the school to do development in human resources at school environment, (2) SMP 3 teachers should increase the competence and human resources development through training

Kinetic modelling of a pyrolysis - Gasification reactor

Biomass is of growing interest as a secondary energy source. Biomass could be converted to energy especially by pyrolysis or gasification. Understanding the mechanism and the kinetics of biomass pyrolysis and gasification could be the key to the design of industrial devices capable of processing vast amounts of biomass feedstock. There are multiple reactions describing the decomposition of biomass to gaseous products and it is difficult to identify each of the reactions. Therefore reactions must be simplified; in general well identified reagents and products with different states (feedstock, tar, gas) are used for calculations, instead of using different compounds of real products. In our work real product compounds obtained from pyrolysis were used, and the kinetic constants for biomass pyrolysis and gasification were identified. A laboratory scale reactor was used for the physical experiments containing consecutive fast pyrolysis and gasification stages. The main aim of this research was to create a detailed and validated first principle model for the reactor system. In this study, a compartment modelling approach was used, where all compartments facilitate different reactions (pyrolysis, thermal, and catalytic gasification). With the identification of the model parameters (using PSO algorithm) a stable and validated model was created, which can be used for further optimisation studies. MATLAB was used for the creation of the compartment model, and Particle Swarm Optimisation was used for the kinetic parameter identification

Decreased recall of primacy words predicts cognitive decline.

One of the cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer's disease is a diminution of the primacy effect, i.e., the tendency toward better recall of items studied early on a list compared with the rest. We examined whether learning and recall of primacy words predicted subsequent cognitive decline in 204 elderly subjects who were non-demented and cognitively intact when first examined. Our results show that poorer primacy performance in the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test delayed recall trials, but not in immediate recall trials, is an effective predictor of subsequent decline in general cognitive function. This pattern of performance can be interpreted as evidence that failure to consolidate primacy items is a marker of cognitive decline