Medium-Density Fiberboard Produced Using Pulp and Paper Sludge from Different Pulping Processes

Pulp and paper sludge can be recycled in the manufacture of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) because it contains wood fibers. A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the properties of MDF made from virgin fibers mixed with different pulp and paper sludge sources. A factorial design was used in which factors were mill pulping processes, thermal-mechanical pulping (TMP), chemical-thermal-mechanical pulping (CTMP), and kraft pulping, and percentage of sludge mixed with virgin fibers (0, 25, 50, and 75%). Virgin fibers were obtained from paper birch wood, an underutilized species. Chemical composition, physical characteristics, pH, and buffer capacity of sludge were measured. MDF properties decreased mostly linearly with sludge content. Panel properties negatively correlated with the proportion of nonfibrous material such as ash and extractives. TMP and CTMP sludge sources produced panels of similar quality, and kraft sludge produced the lowest quality. It was concluded that the amount of sludge that can be incorporated into MDF without excessive decrease in panel quality depends on the pulping process. At 25% sludge content, all panels met ANSI quality requirements for MDF used for interior applications

Binderless Fiberboard Made from Primary and Secondary Pulp and Paper Sludge

Pulp and paper sludge is valuable in fiberboard manufacturing because primary sludge (PS) contains fibers and secondary sludge (SS) has adhesive properties. We evaluated properties of binderless fiberboard made from conventional pulp and paper mill sludge sources using a factorial design in which the factors were SS:PS ratio (1:9, 2:8, and 3:7) and pulping process (thermomechanical [TMP], chemical-thermomechanical [CTMP], and kraft). Sludge was collected, refined, dried, and characterized for chemical composition and fiber length. Internal bond strength of CTMP panels increased 90% and thickness swell of TMP panels improved 92% with increasing SS content from 10-30%. IR Fourier transform and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses were conducted to better understand these results. Increased bonding was attributed to presence of proteins and lignin on the sludge fiber surface, which enhanced adhesion during hot pressing, whereas surface contamination decreased bonding efficiency. The TMP formulation at SS:PS ratio 3:7 met the ANSI requirement for basic hardboard. All other formulations were not dimensionally stable enough to meet the standard. The CTMP source resulted in the highest mechanical properties, and thickness swell was similar for the TMP and CTMP pulping processes. The kraft source produced low-integrity and dimensionally unstable panels

Association of mitochondrial polymorphism m.709G>A with Behcet's disease

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PENGARUH RASIO EPOKSI/AMPAS TEBU DAN PERLAKUAN ALKALI PADA AMPAS TEBU TERHADAP KEKUATAN BENTUR KOMPOSIT PARTIKEL EPOKSI BERPENGISI SERAT AMPAS TEBU

This study was aimed to determine the effect of alkali treatment and fiber composition on the impact strength properties of epoxy composites filled with bagasse fiber. Composites are made by hand lay-up method by mixing epoxy and bagasse fiber with variation of volume ratio between matrix and filler are 100/0, 70/30, 60/40, and 50/50 (v / v) and the concentration of NaOH slolution in the alkali treatment are 0% , 1%, 2%, and 3%. Mechanical propertie tested was impact strengthand analized  by SEM analysis. The results obtained from this study was the maximum impact strength value obtained of the composite was on the composition 70:30 with 2% NaOH concentration was 8,005 kJ/m2

ВЫБОР СМЕЩЕНИЯ ПРИ ПОШАГОВОЙ МАРШРУТИЗАЦИИ В БЕСПРОВОДНОЙ СЕТИ

In order to send the frame to the address the authors suggest selecting an adjacent node, taking into account the preferred predetermined weights of those nodes and their current load rates. The adaptive algorithm of alternate path choice is based on logical neural network. Simulation, made by the authors, has shown better values of mean time to execute applications and higher probability of their execution as compared to algorithm of non-alternative choice of neighboring routers. Thus a mean time of execution of application with alternative path choice algorithm DТalt exceeds minimum possible time for the range of change 12 ≤ s ≤ 16 (applications per step) in a changing range 0,3 ≤ DТальт ≤ 1 (steps). The mean time of execution of application with the method of alternative path choice has been reduced as compared to non-alternative path choice by 8% for s = 12, and by 23% – for s = 16.Для передачи кадра по адресу выбор смежного узла предлагается производить с учётом предпочтительных весов этих узлов, определённых заранее, и текущих значений коэффициентов их загрузки. В основе адаптивного  алгоритма альтернативного  смещения лежит логическая нейронная сеть. Моделирование, проведенное авторами, показало лучшие значения среднего времени и вероятности выполнения заявок  в данном варианте по сравнению с алгоритмом безальтернативного выбора искомого узла

First demonstration of neural sensing and control in a kilometer-scale gravitational wave observatory

Suspended optics in gravitational wave (GW) observatories are susceptible toalignment perturbations and, in particular, to slow drifts over time due tovariations in temperature and seismic levels. Such misalignments affect thecoupling of the incident laser beam into the optical cavities, degrade bothcirculating power and optomechanical photon squeezing, and thus decrease theastrophysical sensitivity to merging binaries. Traditional alignment techniquesinvolve differential wavefront sensing using multiple quadrant photodiodes, butare often restricted in bandwidth and are limited by the sensing noise. Wepresent the first-ever successful implementation of neural network-basedsensing and control at a gravitational wave observatory and demonstratelow-frequency control of the signal recycling mirror at the GEO 600 detector.Alignment information for three critical optics is simultaneously extractedfrom the interferometric dark port camera images via a CNN-LSTM networkarchitecture and is then used for MIMO control using soft actor-critic-baseddeep reinforcement learning. Overall sensitivity improvement achieved using ourscheme demonstrates deep learning's capabilities as a viable tool for real-timesensing and control for current and next-generation GW interferometers.<br

Gene Expression Profiling and Association Studies Implicate the Neuregulin Signaling Pathway in Behçet's Disease Susceptibility

Behçet's disease (BD) is a complex disease with genetic and environmental risk factors implicated in its etiology; however, its pathophysiology is poorly understood. To decipher BD's genetic underpinnings, we combined gene expression profiling with pathway analysis and association studies. We compared the gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 15 patients and 14 matched controls using Affymetrix microarrays and found that the neuregulin signaling pathway was over-represented among the differentially expressed genes. The Epiregulin (EREG), Amphiregulin (AREG), and Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) genes of this pathway stand out as they are also among the top differentially expressed genes. Twelve haplotype tagging SNPs at the EREG-AREG locus and 15 SNPs in NRG1 found associated in at least one published BD genome-wide association study were tested for association with BD in a dataset of 976 Iranian patients and 839 controls. We found a novel association with BD for the rs6845297 SNP located downstream of EREG, and replicated three associations at NRG1 (rs4489285, rs383632, and rs1462891). Multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis indicated the existence of epistatic interactions between EREG and NRG1 variants. EREG-AREG and NRG1, which are members of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, seem to modulate BD susceptibility through main effects and gene–gene interactions. These association findings support a role for the EGF/ErbB signaling pathway inBD pathogenesis that warrants further investigation and highlight the importance of combining genetic and genomic approaches to dissect the genetic architecture of complex diseases

Status of the SOLEIL femtosecond X-ray source

http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/FEL2012/papers/wepd04.pdfInternational audienceAn electron bunch slicing setup is presently under construction on the SOLEIL storage ring for delivering 100 fs (rms) long photon pulses to two undulator-based beamlines providing soft (TEMPO) and hard X-rays (CRISTAL). Thanks to the non-zero dispersion function present in all straight sections of the storage ring, the sliced bunches can be easily separated from the core bunches. The modulator is a wiggler composed of 20 periods of 164.4 mm. It produces a magnetic field of 1.8 T at a minimum gap of 14.5 mm. To modulate the kinetic energy of the electrons in the wiggler, a Ti:Sa laser will be used, which produces 50 fs pulses at 800 nm with a repetition rate of 2.5 kHz. The laser beam is splitted into two branches in order to provide 2 mJ to the modulator and 0.5 mJ as pump pulse for the CRISTAL and TEMPO end stations. Focusing optics and beam path, from the laser hutch to the inside of the storage ring tunnel are presently under finalization. In this paper, we will report on the specificities of the SOLEIL setup, the status of its installation and the expected performances

High quality RNA isolation from Aedes aegypti midguts using laser microdissection microscopy

Background: Laser microdissection microscopy (LMM) has potential as a research tool because it allows precise excision of target tissues or cells from a complex biological specimen, and facilitates tissue-specific sample preparation. However, this method has not been used in mosquito vectors to date. To this end, we have developed an LMM method to isolate midgut RNA using Aedes aegypti

Revisiting the technical validation of tumour biomarker assays: how to open a Pandora's box

A tumour biomarker is a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated in tumour samples as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention. The development of a biomarker contemplates distinct phases, including discovery by hypothesis-generating preclinical or exploratory studies, development and qualification of the assay for the identification of the biomarker in clinical samples, and validation of its clinical significance. Although guidelines for the development and validation of biomarkers are available, their implementation is challenging, owing to the diversity of biomarkers being developed. The term 'validation' undoubtedly has several meanings; however, in the context of biomarker research, a test may be considered valid if it is 'fit for purpose'. In the process of validation of a biomarker assay, a key point is the validation of the methodology. Here we discuss the challenges for the technical validation of immunohistochemical and gene expression assays to detect tumour biomarkers and provide suggestions of pragmatic solutions to address these challenges