CRYOGENIC MULTIPLE BED BASED DEHYDRATION AND CO2 SEPARATION DURING PURIFICATION OF NATURAL GAS

A novel concept of separation of water and CO2 from natural gas is presented in this work using multiple cryogenic packed beds. The principle separation of water and CO2 from natural gas is the difference in the desublimation of components in natural gas. Experimentation is conducted based on dehydration and CO2 removal from natural gas while simulation is carried out to validate the result. A series of pre cooled bed for effective separation between water, CO2 and natural gas can be used periodically. The dehydration unit is kept slightly below the freezing point of water which desublimates water upon passing the wet gas and the remaining components do not undergo phase change. The same concept is also applied for CO2 removal from natural gas using cryogenic packed bed. It is worthy notable that CO2 undergoes phase change from gas to solid and there is no chemical reaction involved. The 1-dimensional pseudo homogeneous model is used to describe the process for desublimation of both water and CO2. Furthermore, the concentration and temperature distribution during dehydration and CO2 removal from natural gas at cryogenic temperature are investigated in detail. The optimization of operating conditions of multiple cryogenic beds based on dehydration and CO2 removal is analyzed. The resulting simulation shows the good resemblance with the developed model

CRYOGENIC MULTIPLE BED BASED DEHYDRATION AND CO2 SEPARATION DURING PURIFICATION OF NATURAL GAS

A novel concept of separation of water and CO2 from natural gas is presented in this work using multiple cryogenic packed beds. The principle separation of water and CO2 from natural gas is the difference in the desublimation of components in natural gas. Experimentation is conducted based on dehydration and CO2 removal from natural gas while simulation is carried out to validate the result. A series of pre cooled bed for effective separation between water, CO2 and natural gas can be used periodically. The dehydration unit is kept slightly below the freezing point of water which desublimates water upon passing the wet gas and the remaining components do not undergo phase change. The same concept is also applied for CO2 removal from natural gas using cryogenic packed bed. It is worthy notable that CO2 undergoes phase change from gas to solid and there is no chemical reaction involved. The 1-dimensional pseudo homogeneous model is used to describe the process for desublimation of both water and CO2. Furthermore, the concentration and temperature distribution during dehydration and CO2 removal from natural gas at cryogenic temperature are investigated in detail. The optimization of operating conditions of multiple cryogenic beds based on dehydration and CO2 removal is analyzed. The resulting simulation shows the good resemblance with the developed model

Wellness of Select Immigrant Chinese and Taiwanese Wives in the United States

A qualitative phenomenological research study was conducted to investigate the acculturation experience and wellness of 10 Chinese and Taiwanese immigrant women who married United States citizens. A social constructivist theoretical framework was taken to explore the participants’ acculturation experience and wellness issues from the lens of their worldviews. We attempted to understand these immigrant women’s acculturation, wellness, cultural identity development, marital concerns, and contentment. Ten participants who married United States citizens were interviewed. Six of them participated in a group interview, and four of them completed individual interviews. Six themes were revealed: (a) language and cultural challenges, (b) relationship aspects of emotional suppression, (c) parenting conflicts, (d) determination for growth, (e) spousal support and gratitude, and (f) religious support. Cultural dissimilarities, diverse communication styles, and language differences appeared to result in challenges affecting these wives’ wellness and acculturation to cultural aspects of their marriages and societal norms in the United States. Most participants gained a sense of competence related to their own personal wellness in relation to their acculturation process such as expressing their conflicting emotions. We encourage counselors and researchers to understand immigrant women’s wellness as it relates to the cultural complexities regarding their acculturative transitions so as to better help these women address their wellness and counseling issues

Fluctuations in Gene Regulatory Networks as Gaussian Colored Noise

The study of fluctuations in gene regulatory networks is extended to the case of Gaussian colored noise. Firstly, the solution of the corresponding Langevin equation with colored noise is expressed in terms of an Ito integral. Then, two important lemmas concerning the variance of an Ito integral and the covariance of two Ito integrals are shown. Based on the lemmas, we give the general formulae for the variances and covariance of molecular concentrations for a regulatory network near a stable equilibrium explicitly. Two examples, the gene auto-regulatory network and the toggle switch, are presented in details. In general, it is found that the finite correlation time of noise reduces the fluctuations and enhances the correlation between the fluctuations of the molecular components.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Structural basis of IL-23 antagonism by an Alphabody protein scaffold

Protein scaffolds can provide a promising alternative to antibodies for various biomedical and biotechnological applications, including therapeutics. Here we describe the design and development of the Alphabody, a protein scaffold featuring a single-chain antiparallel triple-helix coiled-coil fold. We report affinity-matured Alphabodies with favourable physicochemical properties that can specifically neutralize human interleukin (IL)-23, a pivotal therapeutic target in autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. The crystal structure of human IL-23 in complex with an affinity-matured Alphabody reveals how the variable interhelical groove of the scaffold uniquely targets a large epitope on the p19 subunit of IL-23 to harness fully the hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding potential of tryptophan and tyrosine residues contributed by p19 and the Alphabody, respectively. Thus, Alphabodies are suitable for targeting protein-protein interfaces of therapeutic importance and can be tailored to interrogate desired design and binding-mode principles via efficient selection and affinity-maturation strategies

Disability and disability services

This chapter provides a profile of people who are at various points on this disability continuum, but with an emphasis on those facing more severe limitations. Information is presented on both mainstream and sector-specific service use, and the outcomes associated with the use of these services. The focus in this chapter is on people aged under 65 years.<br /

Doctoral Recital

Program listing performers and works performe

Changes in beverage purchases following the announcement and implementation of South Africa's Health Promotion Levy: an observational study

BACKGROUND: In 2016, South Africa announced an intention to levy a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). In 2018, the country implemented an SSB tax of approximately 10%, known as the Health Promotion Levy (HPL). We aimed to assess changes in the purchases of beverages before and after the HPL announcement and implementation. METHODS: We used Kantar Europanel data on monthly household purchases between January, 2014, and March, 2019, among a sample of South African households (n=113 653 household-month observations) from all nine provinces to obtain per-capita sugar, calories, and volume from taxable and non-taxable beverages purchased before and after the HPL announcement and implementation. We describe survey-weighted means for each period, and regression-controlled predictions of outcomes and counterfactuals based on pre-HPL announcement trends, with bootstrapped 95% CIs, and stratify results by socioeconomic status. FINDINGS: Mean sugar from taxable beverage purchases fell from 16·25 g/capita per day (95% CI 15·80-16·70) to 14·26 (13·85-14·67) from the pre-HPL announcement to post-announcement period, and then to 10·63 g/capita per day (10·22-11·04) in the year after implementation. Mean volumes of taxable beverage purchases fell from 518·99 mL/capita per day (506·90-531·08) to 492·16 (481·28-503·04) from pre-announcement to post announcement, and then to 443·39 mL/capita per day (430·10-456·56) after implementation. Across these time periods, there was a small increase in the purchases of non-taxable beverages, from 283·45 mL/capita per day (273·34-293·56) pre-announcement to 312·94 (296·29-329·29) post implementation. When compared with pre-announcement counterfactual trends, reductions in taxable beverage purchase outcomes were significantly larger than the unadjusted survey-weighted observed reductions. Households with lower socioeconomic status purchased larger amounts of taxable beverages in the pre-announcement period than did households with higher socioeconomic status, but demonstrated bigger reductions after the tax was implemented. INTERPRETATION: The announcement and introduction of South Africa's HPL were followed by reductions in the sugar, calories, and volume of beverage purchases. FUNDING: Bloomberg Philanthropies, International Development Research Centre, South African Medical Research Council, and the US National Institutes of Health