Cost/benefit studies of advanced materials technologies for future aircraft turbine engines: Materials for advanced turbine engines

Cost benefit studies were conducted on six advanced materials and processes technologies applicable to commercial engines planned for production in the 1985 to 1990 time frame. These technologies consisted of thermal barrier coatings for combustor and high pressure turbine airfoils, directionally solidified eutectic high pressure turbine blades, (both cast and fabricated), and mixers, tail cones, and piping made of titanium-aluminum alloys. A fabricated titanium fan blisk, an advanced turbine disk alloy with improved low cycle fatigue life, and a long-life high pressure turbine blade abrasive tip and ceramic shroud system were also analyzed. Technologies showing considerable promise as to benefits, low development costs, and high probability of success were thermal barrier coating, directionally solidified eutectic turbine blades, and abrasive-tip blades/ceramic-shroud turbine systems

DETEKSI GLUKOSA DALAM URIN ORANGUTAN SUMATERA (PONGO ABELII) MENGGUNAKAN STRIPTEST SEMIKUANTITATIF DI TAMAN HEWAN PEMATANG SIANTAR

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui ada tidaknya glukosa dalam uron orangutan sumatera (Pongo abelii) sebagai penunjang diagnosa di Taman Hewan Pematang Siantar, Sumatera Utara. Pengoleksian urin terhadap 4 ekor orangutan sumatera di dalam kandang yang dilakukan pada pagi hari yaitu saat orangutan bangun tidur atau sebelum pemberian pakan orangutan. Pengulangan uji dilakukan 3 kali selama 10 hari pada bulan Januari 2015. Setelah pengoleksian urin kemudian dilakukan pemeriksaan dengan cara mencelupkan stripstest pada 5-10 ml urin selama 30 detik. Analisis data menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif dengan hasil bersifat semikuantitatif melalui pembacaan nilai glukosa pada stripstest yang memiliki skala perubahan warna yaitu : negatif, positif 1 (100 mg/dL), positif 2 (250 mg/dL), positif 3 (500 mg/dL), dan positif 4 (1000 mg/dL). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa dari 4 sampel urin orangutan sumatera tidak terdeteksi adanya glukosa dalam urin

Biorefining of pigeon pea:Residue conversion by pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is an important technology to convert lignocellulosic biomass to a renewable liquid energy carrier known as pyrolysis oil or bio-oil. Herein we report the pyrolysis of pigeon pea wood, a widely available biomass in the Philippines, in a semi-continuous reactor at gram scale. The effects of process conditions such as temperature (400-600 ◦C), nitrogen flow rate (7-15 mL min−1) and particle size of the biomass feed (0.5-1.3 mm) on the product yields were determined. A Box-Behnken three-level, three-factor fractional factorial design was carried out to establish process-product yield relations. Of particular interest is the liquid product (bio-oil), of which the yield was shown to depend on all independent variables in a complex manner. The optimal conditions for highest bio-oil yield (54 wt.% on dry feed intake) were a temperature of 466 ◦C, a nitrogen flow rate of 14 mL min−1 and a particle size of 1.3 mm. Validation of the optimized conditions proved that the average (n = 3) experimental bio-oil yield (52 wt.%) is in good agreement with the predicted value from the model. The properties of product oils were determined using various analytical techniques including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C- and HSQC-NMR) and elemental and proximate analyses. The bio-oils were shown to have low ash content (0.2%), high heating value (29 MJ kg−1) and contain high value-added phenolics compounds (41%, GC peak area) as well as low molecular weight aldehydes and carboxylic acids. GPC analysis indicated the presence of a considerable amount of higher molecular weight compounds. NMR measurements showed that a large proportion of bio-oil contains aliphatic carbons (~60%), likely formed from the decomposition of (hemi)cellulose components, which are abundantly present in the starting pigeon pea wood. Subsequent preliminary scale-up pyrolysis experiments in a fluidized bed reactor (~100 gfeed h−1, 475 ◦C and N2 flow rate of 1.5 L min−1) gave a non-optimized bio-oil yield of 44 wt.%. Further fractionation and/or processing are required to upgrade these bio-oils to biofuels and biobased chemicals

Catalytic Hydrogenation of Renewable Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone:Insights into the Influence of Feed Impurities on Catalyst Performance in Batch and Flow Reactors

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) is readily obtained by the hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) and is considered a sustainable platform chemical for the production of biobased chemicals. Herein, the performance and stability of Ru-based catalysts (1 wt % Ru) supported on TiO2 (P25) and ZrO2 (monoclinic) for LA hydrogenation to GVL is investigated in the liquid phase in batch and continuous-flow reactors using water and dioxane as solvents. Particular attention is paid to the influence of possible impurities in the LA feed on catalyst performance for LA hydrogenation. Benchmark continuous-flow experiments at extended times on-stream showed that the deactivation profiles are distinctly different for both solvents. In dioxane, the Ru/ZrO2 catalyst is clearly more stable than Ru/TiO2, whereas the latter is slightly more stable in water. Detailed characterization studies on spent catalysts after long run times showed that the deactivation of Ru/TiO2 is strongly linked to the reduction of a significant amount of Ti4+ species of the support to Ti3+ and a decrease in the specific surface area of the support in comparison to the fresh catalyst. Ru/ZrO2 showed no signs of support reduction and displayed morphological and structural stability; however, some deposition of carbonaceous material is observed. Impurities in the LA feed such as HCOOH, H2SO4, furfural (FFR), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), humins, and sulfur-containing amino acids impacted the catalyst performance differently. The results reveal a rapid yet reversible loss of activity for both catalysts upon HCOOH addition to LA, attributed to its preferential adsorption on Ru sites and possible CO poisoning. A more gradual drop in activity is found when cofeeding HMF, FFR, and humins for both solvents. The presence of H2SO4, cysteine, and methionine all resulted in the irreversible deactivation of the Ru catalysts. The results obtained provide new insights into the (ir)reversible (in)sensitivity of Ru-based hydrogenation catalysts to potential impurities in LA feeds, which is essential knowledge for next-generation catalyst development

Type I interferon is required for T helper (Th) 2 induction by dendritic cells

Type 2 inflammation is a defining feature of infection with parasitic worms (helminths), as well as being responsible for widespread suffering in allergies. However, the precise mechanisms involved in T helper (Th) 2 polarization by dendritic cells (DCs) are currently unclear. We have identified a previously unrecognized role for type I IFN (IFN-I) in enabling this process. An IFN-I signature was evident in DCs responding to the helminth Schistosoma mansoni or the allergen house dust mite (HDM). Further, IFN-I signaling was required for optimal DC phenotypic activation in response to helminth antigen (Ag), and efficient migration to, and localization with, T cells in the draining lymph node (dLN). Importantly, DCs generated from Ifnar1-/- mice were incapable of initiating Th2 responses in vivo. These data demonstrate for the first time that the influence of IFN-I is not limited to antiviral or bacterial settings but also has a central role to play in DC initiation of Th2 responses

Towards Open Access Publishing in High Energy Physics : Report of the SCOAP3 Working Party

This Report concerns the implementation of a process today supported by leading actors from the particle physics community, and worked through in detail by members of an international Working Party. The initiative offers an opportunity for the cost-effective dissemination of high-quality research articles in particle physics, enabling use of the new technologies of e-Science across the literature of High Energy physics

Intramanual and intermanual transfer of the curvature aftereffect

The existence and transfer of a haptic curvature aftereffect was investigated to obtain a greater insight into neural representation of shape. The haptic curvature aftereffect is the phenomenon whereby a flat surface is judged concave if the preceding touched stimulus was convex and vice versa. Single fingers were used to touch the subsequently presented stimuli. A substantial aftereffect was found when the adaptation surface and the test surface were touched by the same finger. Furthermore, a partial, but significant transfer of the aftereffect was demonstrated between fingers of the same hand and between fingers of both the hands. These results provide evidence that curvature information is not only represented at a level that is directly connected to the mechanoreceptors of individual fingers but is also represented at a stage in the somatosensory cortex shared by the fingers of both the hands