Fusion characterization of biomass ash

The ash fusion characteristics are important parameters for thermochemical utilization of biomass. In this research, a method for measuring the fusion characteristics of biomass ash by Thermo-mechanical Analyzer, TMA, is described. The typical TMA shrinking ratio curve can be divided into two stages, which are closely related to ash melting behaviors. Several characteristics temperatures based on the TMA curves are used to assess the ash fusion characteristics. A new characteristics temperature, T-m, is proposed to represent the severe melting temperature of biomass ash. The fusion characteristics of six types of biomass ash have been measured by TMA. Compared with standard ash fusibility temperatures (AFT) test, TMA is more suitable for measuring the fusion characteristics of biomass ash. The glassy molten areas of the ash samples are sticky and mainly consist of K-Ca-silicates. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</p

Transposable element-initiated enhancer-like elements generate the subgenome-biased spike specificity of polyploid wheat

Transposable elements (TEs) comprise ~85% of the common wheat genome, which are highly diverse among subgenomes, possibly contribute to polyploid plasticity, but the causality is only assumed. Here, by integrating data from gene expression cap analysis and epigenome profiling via hidden Markov model in common wheat, we detect a large proportion of enhancer-like elements (ELEs) derived from TEs producing nascent noncoding transcripts, namely ELE-RNAs, which are well indicative of the regulatory activity of ELEs. Quantifying ELE-RNA transcriptome across typical developmental stages reveals that TE-initiated ELE-RNAs are mainly from RLG_famc7.3 specifically expanded in subgenome A. Acquisition of spike-specific transcription factor binding likely confers spike-specific expression of RLG_famc7.3-initiated ELE-RNAs. Knockdown of RLG_famc7.3-initiated ELE-RNAs resulted in global downregulation of spike-specific genes and abnormal spike development. These findings link TE expansion to regulatory specificity and polyploid developmental plasticity, highlighting the functional impact of TE-driven regulatory innovation on polyploid evolution

Sensitivity analysis of structural health risk in operational tunnels

During the operation of metro tunnels, structural performance could inevitably degrade due to the combined effects of the stochastic and disadvantageous environment. In order to reduce the randomness and uncertainty underlying the structural safety risk analysis in operational tunnels, this paper develops a novel hybrid approach to perform global sensitivity analysis. The deterministic and stochastic finite element (FE) model is used to develop the approximate relationship between input and output parameters with a high level of accuracy. Based on the simulated data from an FE model, a meta-model is constructed by a built Particle Swarm Optimization-Least Square Support Vector Machine (PSO-LSSVM) model. In this research, 10,000 groups of data are generated by the built PSO-LSSVM model, which provides data support for the global sensitivity analysis through Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (EFAST). The input variables with a high global sensitivity are identified as crucial variables which should be well controlled and managed during tunnel operation. A Hankou-Fanhu (H-F) tunnel section in the Wuhan metro system is utilized as a case study to verify the applicability of the proposed approach. Global sensitivity analysis enables the reduction of the epistemic uncertainty in tunnel structural safety management, providing insight into a better understanding of (1) the input-output causal relationships of the structural safety risk in operational tunnels, (2) the reduction of the epistemic uncertainty in project safety management of operational tunnels

Biomass-Ash-Induced Agglomeration in a Fluidized Bed. Part 1: Experimental Study on the Effects of a Gas Atmosphere

Fluidized beds have been widely applied to gasification and combustion of biomass. During gasification, a high temperature is preferable to increase the carbon conversion and to reduce the undesirable tar. However, the high temperature may lead to a severe agglomeration problem in a fluidized bed. Understanding of the agglomeration in various atmospheres is crucial to optimize the design and operation conditions. This study focuses on the effects of gases on agglomeration tendency with different types of biomass, including corn straw, rice straw, and wheat straw. The biomass ash samples are mixed with quartz sand and fluidized by the gas mixtures of N-2/CO2, N-2/H-2, and N-2/steam or by air. At 550 degrees C, the bed temperature is increased at the rate of 3 degrees C/min until defluidization occurs. In this way, the defluidization temperature can be determined, which represents the agglomeration tendency. The agglomerates are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) for morphology and elemental composition. Significant differences are observed on the defluidization temperature (T-d) and agglomeration mechanisms in different gas atmospheres. T-d in H-2, and steam atmospheres are much lower than that in air. It appears that, in a steam atmosphere, the agglomeration of corn straw and rice straw ash is predominantly coating-induced. The agglomeration in both H-2 and air atmospheres are melting-induced. In a H-2 atmosphere, K2SO4 in the ash samples disappears, caused by decomposition of K2SO4.</p

Biomass ash induced agglomeration in fluidized bed. Part 2: Effect of potassium salts in different gas composition

Agglomeration is one of the main challenges for combustion and gasification of biomass in fluidized beds. Bed agglomeration is related to K species present in biomass. Understanding the role of different types of K species on formation of agglomerates at different conditions can reveal the mechanisms of biomass ash induced agglomeration. Extensive experiments are conducted in a laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor, using mixtures of quartz sand and K species, including KCl, K2SO4 and K2CO3, to study the agglomeration mechanisms. The effects of gas composition, including air, H-2(-) and H2O- containing gas are investigated. The morphology and elemental analyses of the agglomerate samples are examined by SEM/EDS analysis. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations are performed for verifying the proposed mechanisms. The results showi that the role of various forms of potassium salts on agglomeration in fluidized beds is different. Gas composition also has strong impact on the agglomeration tendency. In the air and H-2-containing gas, defluidization of KCl in a sand bed is caused by the melt of KCl. However, KCI reacts with SiO2 to form K-silicates in the H2O-containing gas, which results in a lower defluidization temperature. No defluidization is observed for K2SO4 in the presence of oxygen or water. However, K2SO4 decomposes and reacts with SiO2 to form K-silicates, causing defluidization at 850 degrees C in the H-2(-) containing gas. In the air, H-2(-) or H2O-containing gas, K2CO3 would react with SiO2 to form potassium silicates and KOH may be additionally formed in the H-2(-) and H2O-containing gas. The possible mechanisms of agglomeration of various potassium salts at different conditions are discussed

A Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background: Perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is a general term for cognitive impairment that negatively affects multiple domains, including memory, concentration, and physical functioning. Numerous articles have been published on PND; however, only a few quantitative analyses covering this disorder have been published. Methods and Materials: To clarify PND’s developmental history, research foci, and future directions, we conducted a bibliometric analysis using the bibliometric tools VOSviewer and CiteSpace. A total of 4704 publications were obtained from the Web of Science database, including annual publications and trends, keywords, institutions, journals, and collaboration between countries/regions and authors. Results: In addition, we found that neuroinflammation is a hotspot in recent studies. Conclusions: This bibliometric analysis provides a broad overview of studies in the field of PND

Additional file 1: of Inhibition of YAP suppresses CML cell proliferation and enhances efficacy of imatinib in vitro and in vivo

(A), (B) Knockdown of YAP by siRNA down-regulated ctgf and cyr61 at mRNA levels (**P < 0.01). (C) Morphological changes of cell apoptosis induced by VP (10 μM, 24 h) with or without IM (2 μM). (D) IM decreased the protein level of YAP while the expression of p-YAP(S127) increased first and then decreased. (E) The mRNA level of YAP in bone cells collected from each group and the results showed no significant difference. (TIF 1855 kb