Dual Storage Research Articles

The Dual Medium Storage Tank at the IEA/SSPS Project in Almeria (Spain); Part I: Experimental Validation of the Thermodynamic Design Model

Efficient and reliable thermal storage is an important requirement for substituting conventional power systems with solar thermal facilities. Storage will synchronize the intermittent supply of solar radiation with the usually constant demand of technical thermal processes. The distributed collector system of the IEA/SSPS Project in Almeri´a (Spain) uses two different storage systems for the 100 to 295°C temperature range: a single thermocline vessel and a dual medium storage tank (DMST). In the first tank, thermal oil is used as the energy carrier as well as for energy storage; in the dual medium tank, the storage medium is cast iron, and the oil acts primarily as a heat transfer fluid. At the SSPS, this concept’s potential for future process heat applications has been assessed. Performance and operational restrictions of the DMST were systematically studied over a wide range of temperatures, and an existing simulation model was verified and adapted at the same time. The thermodynamic model of the DMST is presented and compared with the first results of the 1985 test program.

Platelet granule disorders

The present review has cataloged the inherited and acquired disorders of platelet granules. Unfortunately, a mere listing of different conditions in which dense bodies, alpha granules, or both are decreased, absent, or fused does little to define their importance in human platelet physiology or as a causative factor in hemorrhagic disease. The inherited disorders serve as the best index of granule involvement in platelet hemostatic function. Our experience with storage pool deficiency in patients with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome has suggested that in many individuals virtual absence of dense bodies and their contents does not present a serious threat to hemostasis. Placing HPS patients on aspirin did not cause spontaneous hemorrhage, suggesting that secretion of dense body contents and synthesis of endoperoxides and thromboxane A2 are not absolutely essential for platelet function. However, the literature strongly suggests that many patients with HPS and SPD face a serious risk from bleeding, and hemorrhage may cause death. We can only conclude that some patients with HPS have platelet defects or other hemostatic problems that render SPD a far more serious threat than in other patients who appear to have the same disease. Dense bodies of and by themselves do not appear absolutely required for platelet function. Isolated deficiency of alpha granules presents the same enigma. Only a few patients with this rare inherited disease have been reported. They are generally considered to have mild to severe hemorrhagic problems. However, the past medical history of our two patients with GPS has recently been reviewed and platelet function studies repeated. Despite the mild thrombocytopenia, they are free of any significant bleeding episodes and their platelet function appears virtually normal. Our findings do not support the concept that alpha granules are essential for platelet function. The only condition that seems to support a critical role for storage organelles in hemostasis is the combined alpha-granule, dense body deficiency in one patient reported by Weiss. This patient does have bleeding problems. However, it is difficult to draw conclusions based on a single patient, and the discovery of other patients will help to clarify the hemostatic problem of patients with dual storage organelle deficiencies. In the meantime, we have prepared platelets from normal individuals free of storage granules by sedimentation through gradients containing cytochalasin B. The function of the normal agranular platelets is compromised, but they do respond to some aggregating agents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Using both an auditory and a visual short-term store to increase digit span.

Can digit span be increased by storing digits nonredundantly in both an auditory short-term store and a visual short-term store (dual storage)? In Experiment 1, when four digits were presented visually and then the remaining digits were presented auditorily, digit span increased three digits over a baseline measurement, but only when the auditorily presented digits were reported first (inverted response). Normal order of response for this presentation was not as effective. Possible reasons for the advantage of inverted response are suggested, based upon dual storage. For all-auditory and all-visual presentations that controlled for parsing, digit span increased only 1 to 1.5 digits over baseline, and inverted and normal order of response did not differ. Experiment 2 demonstrated that an improvement for dual storage could occur when the type of presentation was held constant and the order of response was normal rather than inverted. The results are consistent with the idea of separate auditory and visual short-term stores.

A Negative Priority Effect

On multiple tests of free recall increased study time for selected items near the middle of a presentation list resulted in both a significantly higher level of recall and a later reproduction of these items during recall (negative priority effect). A reliable tendency for “old” items to be emitted relatively late during recall also was found, the effect increasing with increased study time. Although a delay between the end of the list and recall significantly reduced serial position artifacts, the other priorities were still reliably evident. These results are diametrically opposed to the assumption that the stronger or better learned an item the earlier it will be recalled. Instead, they were interpreted in terms of a dual storage system, with the possibility of intentional strategies employed by subjects to maximize total items recalled.

Distance and Location Cues in Retention of Movements by a Congenitally Blind Subject

Retention of linear arm-positioning movements in a congenitally blind university student was tested with either distance or location cues and under retention conditions of rest, location, and distance interpolated tasks. Results revealed a consistent superiority for retention with location cues. The conclusion is drawn that these data would support a dual proprioceptive storage mode hypothesis.

Storage and retrieval processes in unlearning

A revised interference theory interpretation of unlearning is presented which is based on an explicit storage-retrieval model. The theory holds that the first and second lists are stored as separate memory units. Intrusions of first-list items during second-list learning are viewed as allowing the opportunity for dual storage of the first-list item within both memory units. In standard retroactive inhibition experiments in which no special cues for list discrimination are provided, the major factor which produces unlearning is held to be the S's inability to retrieve the first-list memory unit.

An improved dual storage tube technique for high sensitivity video subtractions

Describes a system using two complementary storage tube subtraction schemes in series. The first storage device, operated in a moving target indicator mode, is used to take the difference between opposite phases of a time-dependent video signal and writes it on a second storage tube. The input device then takes the difference between two equal input signals and subtracts this from the image on the second tube. In this way problems associated with the limited dynamic range subtraction properties of the second tube are reduced. With this method signals have been brought a fraction of 1% to full contrast. The sensitivity of this technique was compared to that required for dual energy X-ray absorption edge imaging.