Investigation of Carex: A look at seed dormancy, use as a low input lawn, and local stand characterization

Carex has been an underutilized genus across multiple industries due, in part, to poor germination resulting from a strong primary dormancy. Dormancy can usually be broken using stratification or plant hormones, but the optimal stratification conditions have not been described for many Carex species. Therefore, our objectives for this research were to make observations on the most efficient way to improve seed propagation in local species. A 2-year study was conducted to improve germination and decrease time until germination in Carex blanda (common wood sedge), C. brevior (oval plains sedge), C. eburnea (ivory sedge), C. muskingumensis (palm sedge), and C. pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge) by testing germination in two soil temperatures, seven stratification lengths, and three concentrations of the plant hormone gibberellic acid (GA3). A germination improvement study was conducted in-between years to determine if seed depth improved germination for the three worst performing species. In the primary study, common wood sedge performed the worst in both years averaging ≈2% germination, and palm sedge performed the best with ≈70% germination. For the germination improvement study, light with a surface level seed depth contributed most to improved germination in the three species tested. Stratification treatments influenced both germination rate as well as time until germination. Planting depth and stratification were important in increasing germination for the majority of species, and is suggested to further improve marketability.Consumers have shown preference for low input turfgrasses that have tolerance to both shade and drought stresses. Carex species and nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) are native plants adapted in Oklahoma and may have potential as alternatives to popular turfgrass species in dry shaded environments. To evaluate the potential for native perennial ground covers common in dry woodland ecosystems in Oklahoma, a multi-location field trial was conducted in Stillwater and Perkins, Oklahoma. Four species of Carex [C. amphibola (gray sedge), C. leavenworthii (Leavenworth’s sedge), a dwarf cultivar of palm sedge named ‘Little Midge’, and C. texensis (Texas sedge)] and two sources of nimblewill were used for the study. These alternative turfs were compared against Zoysia japonica ‘El Toro’ (Japanese lawngrass) and Cynodon dactylon ‘Riley’s Super Sport’ (bermudagrass), which served as representative standards. In 2020, plant materials were established as a randomized complete block. In 2021, irrigation treatments (irrigated or not irrigated) were randomly assigned to plots using a split plot structure. Data quantifying growth was measured monthly during the growing season. By the end the second growing season, the conventional turfgrasses outperformed each Carex species and nimblewill. Most Carex showed excellent persistence but lacked the ability to spread quickly enough by the end of the two-year trial. This study demonstrated Carex species and nimblewill have potential to be grown in low maintenance lawns but need unique management practices to be efficient

Enhanced recovery of conventional crude oils with flue gas

Bibliography: p. 246-256Flue gas injection is becoming more attractive as a feasible and environmentally friendly process for improving oil recovery from conventional oil reservoirs. When obtained from surface sources, the flue gas process has an added advantage of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, from being vented into the atmosphere. Flue gas can also be generated in situ by the spontaneous ignition of oil when air, a readily available gas, is injected into high temperature, high pressure conventional oil reservoirs. The availability of flue gas and/or air and the observed high oil recovery potential make the flue gas process an economically attractive process. The oil recovery potential from conventional oil reservoirs by flue gas injection, the displacement mechanism, and the effect of oil composition on these parameters were studied in the laboratory with three flue gas compositions having 0%, 16%, and 30% CO2 content and two recombined conventional crude oils (oils A and B) obtained from two different reservoirs. The oils were displaced by the flue gases in a 2.44 m (8 ft.) long, 5.1 cm (2 in.) diameter Berea sandstone core at irreducible brine saturation as well as in a 18.288m (60 ft.) long slim tube. These studies were conducted at reservoir pressures ranging from 17.62 MPa to 41.58 MPa and temperatures of 116°C and 80.6°C, corresponding to the respective reservoir temperature of the oils studied. Experimental coreflood results show that oil A recovery increases from 32.95% to 41.00% of the initial oil in place (IOIP) at 27.7 MPa as the CO2 content in the flue gas increases from 0% to 30%. The recovery also increase with pressure from 32.95% to 50.94% IOIP at 0% CO2 flue gas content as the displacement pressure increases from 27.47 MPa to 41.58 MPa. Oil B recovery also increased from 45% to 50% IOIP with increase in CO2 content in flue gas from 16% to 30% at 17. 7 MPa. The results also show that conventional oil will benefit from enriched flue gas injection. Based on coreflood simulations using CMG-GEM simulator, maximum oil was recovered at 80% CO2 for oil A and at 60% CO2 for oil B at 68.95 MPa. Both oils were displaced under a combined vapourizing-condensing mechanism, which was enhanced with CO2 enrichment

Miscibility characteristics of light oil and in situ generated flue gases

Bibliography: p. 138-14

Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy as a Special Technique for the Solid-State Characterization of Pharmaceutical Excipients, Drug Delivery Systems, and Medical Devices—A Systematic Review

The aims of this systematic review are to explore the possibilities of using the positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) method in the pharmaceutical industry and to examine the application of PALS as a supportive, predictive method during the research process. In addition, the review aims to provide a comprehensive picture of additional medical and pharmaceutical uses, as the application of the PALS test method is limited and not widely known in this sector. We collected the scientific literature of the last 20 years (2002–2022) from several databases (PubMed, Embase, SciFinder-n, and Google Scholar) and evaluated the data gathered in relation to the combination of three directives, namely, the utilization of the PALS method, the testing of solid systems, and their application in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. The application of the PALS method is discussed based on three large groups: substances, drug delivery systems, and medical devices, starting with simpler systems and moving to more complex ones. The results are discussed based on the functionality of the PALS method, via microstructural analysis, the tracking of ageing and microstructural changes during stability testing, the examination of the effects of excipients and external factors, and defect characterization, with a strong emphasis on the benefits of this technique. The review highlights the wide range of possible applications of the PALS method as a non-invasive analytical tool for examining microstructures and monitoring changes; it can be effectively applied in many fields, alone or with complementary testing methods