Moderate Changes Research Articles

Changing climate requires shift from refugia to sanctuaries for floodplain forests

ContextRiparian areas are considered to undergo major alterations under changing climate, making floodplain habitats targets for conservation and landscape planning. Protected areas might provide sanctuaries especially for sessile riparian plant species, but these niches are not always persistent over time.ObjectivesWe investigate if plant species of floodplain forests are provided with suitable habitat within currently protected areas and if these refugia persist. A coupled-modelling approach is used to gain spatially explicit information on new areas for sanctuaries.MethodsWe use species distribution models to predict the niche of 12 Salicion albae and 7 Fraxinion floodplain forest species along rivers in Switzerland, under current, moderate and extreme climate change scenarios up to 80 years to the future (2100). The spread of plant species from current habitat to suitable future habitat is simulated using dispersal vectors and life history traits.ResultsSalicion albae species are more flexible under both climate change scenarios than Fraxinion species. The main limitation for the spread of species is their dispersal ability, as only a minority of the suitable cells is colonized during the simulation process. The predicted future presence within currently protected areas decreases under both climate change scenarios in the model.ConclusionsCurrent protected floodplains do not provide persistent refugia for the plants studied, but might still be of importance to other organisms. Planning of sanctuaries for riparian plant species and communities need to focus on connectivity along rivers to maintain viable source populations in dynamic riverine landscapes under changing climate.

Mixed Conduction in an N‐Type Organic Semiconductor in the Absence of Hydrophilic Side‐Chains

AbstractOrganic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are the building blocks of biosensors, neuromorphic devices, and complementary circuits. One rule in the materials design for OECTs is the inclusion of a hydrophilic component in the chemical structure to enable ion transport in the film. Here, it is shown that the ladder‐type, side‐chain free polymer poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL) performs significantly better in OECTs than the donor–acceptor type copolymer bearing hydrophilic ethylene glycol side chains (P‐90). A combination of electrochemical techniques reveals that BBL exhibits a more efficient ion‐to‐electron coupling and higher OECT mobility than P‐90. In situ atomic force microscopy scans evidence that BBL, which swells negligibly in electrolytes, undergoes a drastic and permanent change in morphology upon electrochemical doping. In contrast, P‐90 substantially swells when immersed in electrolytes and shows moderate morphology changes induced by dopant ions. Ex situ grazing incidence wide‐angle X‐ray scattering suggests that the particular packing of BBL crystallites is minimally affected after doping, in contrast to P‐90. BBL's ability to show exceptional mixed transport is due to the crystallites’ connectivity, which resists water uptake. This side chain‐free route for the design of mixed conductors could bring the n‐type OECT performance closer to the bar set by their p‐type counterparts.

To Teach Legal Design — Change Design By Design

This article is about using human orientated methods of design (e.g. design thinking) in the context of teaching design, while the role of design is changing. Design should be described as a modus operandi for every social activity that leads through solving problem. General role of design is to animate and moderate social change. In that perspective we are all designers, whether we like it or not. This specific change of design mindset shows great challenge in the new education model, where design is just a small part of study program — in this article it is explained in the context of legal study program.

Do uncertainties affect biofuel prices?

We investigate the impact of geopolitical risk, U.S. economic policy uncertainty, financial stress, and market volatility on prices of U.S. and Brazilian ethanol and Malaysian palm oil. We use quantile autoregressive and quantile causality methods and provide evidence of ethanol and palm oil prices being asymmetrically influenced in the downside and upside by each of the uncertainty measures considered. Malaysian palm oil prices are more attuned to increases in uncertainty measures. Increases rather than decreases in uncertainty more strongly impact ethanol and palm oil prices. Uncertainty causes large negative price fluctuations in the biofuel commodities, while moderate uncertainty changes only moderately influence prices. Large uncertainty increases cause large or extreme positive changes in ethanol and palm oil prices. Implications of the results are discussed.

Changes in the age-specific body mass index distribution among urban children between 2002 and 2018 in Changsha, China.

BackgroundIt had been reported that the increase in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in several developed countries over the decade was largely a consequence of changes in the upper end of the body mass index (BMI) distribution. We speculated that the change in BMI distribution among Chinese children is different from that in developed countries. Therefore, we investigated the changes in the BMI distribution among urban children in Changsha, China.MethodsA secondary data analysis of the 2002 and 2018 Annual Survey on Students’ Constitution and Health from Yuhua District, Changsha City, China was performed. The BMI distribution of children aged 6–15 years (n=72,061) was examined by calculating the BMI value at 5th, 50th, 85th, and 95th percentiles. Differences in the BMI value at the 5th, 50th, 85th, and 95th percentiles between 2002 and 2018 according to age and sex were calculated.ResultsFrom 2002 to 2018, the standardized rate of underweight decreased from 6.9% to 3.4%, whereas that of obesity increased from 6.1% to 13.8%. The BMI of the population increased over the 16-year period. The greatest change between the years was seen in the 85th percentile, and moderate changes were seen in the 5th and 50th BMI percentiles. Also, the greatest changes in the BMI percentiles were evident at age 12–14 years.ConclusionsThe whole spectrum of BMI distribution among school-aged children shifted over the 16-year study period, although the increases were more marked in the upper than lower percentiles. Health professionals and health policymakers should develop strategies and interventions aimed at preventing adverse health effects caused by this change.

Brexanolone in Postpartum Depression: Post Hoc Analyses to Help Inform Clinical Decision-Making.

Background: Brexanolone (BRX) injection was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for the treatment of adults with postpartum depression (PPD) based on two Phase 3 clinical trials.Materials and Methods: Data from the three trials were combined. PPD-specific 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) group-level minimal important difference (MID) and patient-level meaningful change (meaningful change threshold [MCT]) were estimated and applied to differences in BRX versus placebo (PBO) at hour 60 (primary endpoint) and day 30 (end of trial follow-up). Likelihood of HAMD-17 response and remission and Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) response for BRX versus PBO were assessed at hour 60 and as sustained through day 30 using relative risk. Associated number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH) values were also estimated.Results: Two-hundred nine patients were included. The average HAMD-17 MID estimate was −2.1; the least-squared mean difference between BRX and PBO exceeded this at hour 60 and day 30. Minimal, moderate, and large MCTs were estimated to be −9, −15, and −20 points, respectively. Significantly more BRX-treated than PBO-treated patients achieved minimal, moderate, and large change (all ps < 0.05) at hour 60 and large meaningful response at day 30 (p < 0.05). BRX-treated patients were more likely to sustain HAMD-17 remission and CGI-I response through day 30 versus PBO. NNTs ranged from 4 to 8, with NNH of 97.Conclusions: BRX provided meaningful changes relative to PBO, rapid (hour 60), and sustained improvements (day 30) in PPD symptoms, low NNT, and large NNH. These results may help inform treatment decision-making.Clinicaltrials.gov registration numbers: NCT02614547, NCT02942004, and NCT02942017.

Co-development of East African regional water scenarios for 2050

Summary The development of and access to freshwater resources in East Africa is fundamental to the region's sustainable development goals. Following vision documents for regional development and working with local stakeholders, we developed water scenarios up to 2050 that inform the hydro-economic modeling analysis of the extended Lake Victoria Basin, the headwaters of the Nile River. Water scenarios that take an integrated approach to assessing the combined effects of climate change, land use, and increasing human water use suggest that the flow regime of the Nile may remain relatively stable. However, if this stability is to be achieved, while at the same time sufficient water is preserved for healthy freshwater ecosystems, a large fraction of water infrastructure must rely on advanced, often costly technologies and management. Interconnected analyses of both upstream and downstream water resources over time, guided by co-developed scenarios, are indispensable for planning sustainable water-development pathways.

Autosegmentation of cardiac substructures in respiratory-gated, non-contrasted computed tomography images.

BACKGROUNDRadiation dose to specific cardiac substructures can have a significant on treatment related morbidity and mortality, yet definition of these structures is labor intensive and not standard. Autosegmentation software may potentially address these issues, however it is unclear whether this approach can be broadly applied across different treatment planning conditions. We investigated the feasibility of autosegmentation of the cardiac substructures in four-dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT), respiratory-gated, non-contrasted imaging.AIMTo determine whether autosegmentation can be successfully employed on 4DCT respiratory-gated, non-contrasted imaging.METHODSWe included patients who underwent stereotactic body radiation therapy for inoperable, early-stage non-small cell lung cancer from 2007 to 2019. All patients were simulated via 4DCT imaging with respiratory gating without intravenous contrast. Generated structure quality was evaluated by degree of required manual edits and volume discrepancy between the autocontoured structures and its edited sister structure.RESULTSInitial 17-structure cardiac atlas was generated with 20 patients followed by three successive iterations of 10 patients using MIM software. The great vessels and heart chambers were reliably autosegmented with most edits considered minor. In contrast, coronary arteries either failed to be autosegmented or the generated structures required major alterations necessitating deletion and manual definition. Similarly, the generated mitral and tricuspid valves were poor whereas the aortic and pulmonary valves required at least minor and moderate changes respectively. For the majority of subsites, the additional samples did not appear to substantially impact the quality of generated structures. Volumetric analysis between autosegmented and its manually edited sister structure yielded comparable findings to the physician-based assessment of structure quality.CONCLUSIONThe use of MIM software with 30-sample subject library was found to be useful in delineating many of the heart substructures with acceptable clinical accuracy on respiratory-gated 4DCT imaging. Small volume structures, such as the coronary arteries were poorly autosegmented and require manual definition.

Effects of tri-frequency ultrasonic vacuum-assisted ethanol pretreatment on infrared drying efficiency, qualities and microbial safety of scallion stalk slices

This paper aims to evaluate the impact of simultaneous tri-frequency ultrasound (20 + 40 + 60 kHz) combined vacuum (0.6 bar) assisted ethanol (75%) pretreatment on the infrared drying process, qualities (rehydration, flavor, surface color), and microbial safety of scallion stalk slices. The slices were pretreated with different methods, using ethanol, vacuum (Water + VC), vacuum-assisted ethanol (Ethanol + VC), ultrasound (Water + US), ultrasound-assisted ethanol (Ethanol + US), ultrasonic vacuum (Water + USVC), and ultrasonic vacuum-assisted ethanol (Ethanol + USVC). It was found that Ethanol + USVC pretreatment significantly reduced the drying time and showed better flavor retention and antibacterial effect, and the slices produced showed moderate rehydration ratio (7.83) and surface color change (8.94).

Excessive Object Attachment in Hoarding Disorder: Examining the Role of Interpersonal Functioning

Excessive attachment towards possessions can be maladaptive because it can lead individuals to excessively acquire and save objects. Little is known about how attachment to objects develops and changes over time; however, interpersonal factors have been theorized to play a role. The current study examined whether interpersonal factors, specifically interpersonal attachment style and empathy, moderate changes in object attachment over time. A total of 145 participants with excessive acquiring and discarding difficulties rated their level of attachment to a novel object just after receiving it, and 1 week later. Participants also completed measures of interpersonal anxious attachment and interpersonal functioning. We found that changes in object attachment over time were moderated by interpersonal anxious attachment. Also, our findings suggested that individuals with hoarding problems are likely not impaired in their ability to empathize with others, but rather have difficulty displaying empathy in tense social situations and also have more empathy for fictional characters. Further, greater discomfort in tense social situations and greater empathy for fictional characters interacted to predict greater object attachment. Taken together, these findings indicate that individuals with an interpersonal anxious attachment style may be those at risk of forming greater attachments to objects over time. A learning history that includes inconsistent support from caregivers may result in individuals experiencing more empathy for fictional characters and discomfort in tense social situations, which may produce a vulnerability for becoming excessively attached to objects. Our results are in line with theories of hoarding which propose that individuals use objects to compensate for unmet interpersonal needs and suggest that treatment may need to target interpersonal functioning to reduce hoarding symptoms.

Association of Chiropractic Colleges Research Agenda Conference 2021 Abstracts of Proceedings.

Association of Chiropractic Colleges Research Agenda Conference 2021 Abstracts of Proceedings.

Chrysophyllum Albidum and Its Potential Damage to the Kidney of Wistar Rats

Objective: The study was aimed at determining the effect of graded doses of Chrysophyllumalbidum on the kidney.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: Twenty wistar rats (190-220 grams) were used in this study and they were randomly allocated into four groups of five rats each. Group A received food and distilled water only while groups B, C and D were treated with 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg 300 mg/kg of Chrysophyllumalbidum leaf extract respectively. The study lasted for three weeks after which the animals where sacrificed and their blood samples and kidney collected for examination.&#x0D; Results: The result from this study showed a significant decrease (p&lt;0.05) in body weight in group of all treated groups. Also, there was a significant increase (p&lt;0.05) in kidney weight in group C but a non-significant increase (p&gt;0.05) in group B and D when compared to group A. In addition, the serum urea and creatinine level showed a significant decrease (p&lt;0.05) in the treated groups when compared with that of group A. Histopathological findings revealed a mild to moderate changes in the cytoarchitecture of the kidney.&#x0D; Conclusion: This result of this study suggests that ethanolic leaf extract of Chrysophyllumalbidum may have the tendency of being toxic to the kidney tissue when consumed at higher doses.&#x0D;

Effects of using vital wheat gluten in practical diets on growth, intestinal histopathology, proinflammation-related gene expression, and resistance of white seabream (Diplodus sargus) to Staphylococcus epidermidis infection

The current study was carried to assess the effects of using vital wheat gluten (VWG) as a fishmeal (FM) replacer in practical diets for white seabream, Diplodus sargus, juvenile. Five isonitrogenous (~ 40% CP) and isoenergetic (21 MJ/Kg diet) diets were formulated to replace FM protein by VWG protein at levels of 0.0 (CTR), 15 (VWG15), 30 (VWG30), 45 (VWG45), and 60% (VWG60). Fish (1.7 ± 0.1 g) were fed on the experimental diets in triplicated groups up to apparent satiety for 10 weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, fish of each treatment were intraperitoneally injected by pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis and observed for further 10 days. Results showed that only fish fed VWG45 and VWG 60 diets showed significant lower growth and feed intake relative to all other VWG groups. VWG at all inclusion levels did not significantly affect survival rate, proximate composition, or body morphometry of white seabream. The intestine architecture indicated that fish fed the VWG45 diet had mild alterations with abundant absorptive vacuole in the middle intestine, while mild to moderate pathological changes were observed in the distal portion. The intestine of fish fed VWG60 showed severe degeneration with signs of inflammation. Additionally, villi length/width and absorption area in foregut, midgut, and hindgut of white seabream were not significantly changed among CTR, VWG15, and VWG30 but these measurements were significantly lowest at the VWG60 treatment. Comparing with the CTR group, highest IL-1β and TNF-α gene expressions were observed in VWG60 followed by VWG45 groups. The phylogenetic tree indicated that VWG induced changes in muscles protein pattern especially at the VWG60 group. After the bacterial challenge, fish fed 15 and 30% VWG protein showed mild mortality as the control fish (43.3–46.7%); meanwhile fish fed the VWG60 diet were more susceptible to S. epidermidis infection showing highest mortality (63.3%). In conclusion, the present findings elucidated that the performance of white seabass was not significantly affected by partial replacement of 30% FM protein with VWG protein.

On the Influence of the Sample Properties on the Measurement of the Implied Open-Circuit Voltage

The implied voltage iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> is a popular parameter for the electronic quality of solar cell test samples. It is used to characterize properties like the passivation quality of surface coatings. While iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> fundamentally depends on the sample properties besides the electronic quality of the interface, such influences have not been systematically quantified and are usually not stated, which questions the comparability of iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> across multiple sample sets. This article is dedicated to study the influence of the wafer doping and thickness, surface passivation and reflection as well as light trapping on iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> by device simulations using Quokka3, supported by experimental data. It is shown that, even moderate changes in these sample properties can result in a significant deviation in iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> . This is emphasized if multiple influences are combined, as shown on two samples featuring an iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> of 737 and 754 mV. This difference in iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> can be broken down into individual contributions, demonstrating how the aforementioned influences can quickly add up to 10-15 mV if combined. From this perspective, it is difficult to compare their respective surface passivation performance, which only accounts for less than 10% of the total change in iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> . Therefore, we recommend a precise description of the aforementioned sample properties when reporting iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> values in publication. To quantify the surface recombination, we recommend the use of J <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0s</sub> instead of iV <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">OC</sub> , since it specifically describes surface recombination and is usually independent from the discussed sample properties.

Correlations Between Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography and Histopathology in Preclinical Safety Assessment of Ocular Therapies.

Twelve studies that involved intravitreal or subretinal test article administration in multiple laboratory animal species and employed both OCT and histopathologic assessment were identified. These data were compared to determine the degree of correlation for each identified abnormality. Severity of observed OCT and histopathological changes ranged from minimal to severe, with moderate and severe changes having a higher rate of agreement between the 2 techniques. Changes to well-defined structures, including the retinal blood vessels, optic nerve, and retinal pigment epithelium, also showed a strong correlation. There was a strong correlation between OCT and histopathology in both intravitreal and subretinal injection studies, demonstrating the value of collaboration between the study ophthalmologist and pathologist and offering translatable means to monitor pharmacological or toxicological effects in preclinical toxicological studies.

An economic analysis of the health-related benefits associated with bicycle infrastructure investment in three Canadian cities

Decision-makers are increasingly requesting economic analyses on transportation-related interventions, but health is often excluded as a determinant of value. We assess the health-related economic impact of bicycle infrastructure investments in three Canadian cities (Victoria, Kelowna and Halifax), comparing a baseline reference year (2016) with the future infrastructure build-out (2020). The World Health Organization's Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT; version 4.2) was used to quantify the economic value of health benefits associated with increased bicycling, using a 10-year time horizon. Outputs comprise premature deaths prevented, carbon emissions avoided, and a benefit:cost ratio. For 2016-2020, we derived cost estimates for bicycle infrastructure investments (including verification from city partners) and modelled three scenarios for changes in bicycling mode share: 'no change', 'moderate change' (a 2% increase), and 'major change' (a 5% increase). Further sensitivity analyses (32 per city) examined how robust the moderate scenario findings were to variation in parameter inputs. Planned bicycle infrastructure investments between 2016 and 2020 ranged from $28-69 million (CAD; in 2016 prices). The moderate scenario benefit:cost ratios were between 1.7:1 (Victoria) and 2.1:1 (Halifax), with the benefit estimate incorporating 9-18 premature deaths prevented and a reduction of 87-142 thousand tonnes of carbon over the 10-year time horizon. The major scenario benefit:cost ratios were between 3.9:1 (Victoria) and 4.9:1 (Halifax), with 19-43 premature deaths prevented and 209-349 thousand tonnes of carbon averted. Sensitivity analyses showed the ratio estimates to be sensitive to the time horizon, investment cost and value of a statistical life inputs. Within the assessment framework permitted by HEAT, the dollar value of health-related benefits exceeded the cost of planned infrastructure investments in bicycling in the three study cities. Depending on the decision problem, complementary analyses may be required to address broader questions relevant to decision makers in the public sector.

Analysis of the Positive Arctic Oscillation Index Event and Its Influence in the Winter and Spring of 2019/2020

There were continuous positive Arctic Oscillation index (AOI) and large-scale weather and climate anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere in the winter and spring of 2019/2020, and the relationship between these anomalies is an important issue for subseasonal to seasonal (S2S) predictability. This study shows that an AOI event with splitting characteristics occurred in the Northern Hemisphere and that there was a gap between the periods in event, which has not been observed in any of the 12 previous positive AOI events. The 3 stages of upward propagating planetary wave (UPPW) variation caused the gap between the periods. First, in early November, the westerly flow from the troposphere to the stratosphere weakened, resulting in persistent weak UPPWs that allowed a strong polar vortex to form. Then, the two strong UPPWs in January and early February caused the original westerlies to decelerate and induced warming in the lower stratosphere. However, the UPPWs caused only moderate changes in the geopotential height and temperature due to the strong polar vortex that had formed in the previous stage. This moderate AOI decline resulted in the conditions that divided the positive event into two periods. Finally, the low-level westerlies became stronger and strengthened the UPPWs into the stable stratosphere, which ended the second positive AOI period in late March. The role of zonal circulation anomalies (ZCA) in the upper stratosphere as metrics of and intermediates in UPPW-AO interactions is revealed in this study. The typical ZCA development mode was identified by statistical analysis and a composite treatment based on eight historical positive AOI events. In this mode, when strong UPPWs occur and lead to the consequent propagation of the ZCA from the stratosphere to the troposphere, the geopotential height field in the lower troposphere changes away from a typical AO mode; eventually, the AOI becomes abnormal. The temperature anomaly and ZCA produced in the two positive AOI periods during the winter and spring of 2019/2020 led to increasing precipitation in the eastern polar region, northern Asia, and areas along 60°N latitude.

Vitamin C rescues inflammation, immunosuppression, and histopathological alterations induced by chlorpyrifos in Nile tilapia.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an extensive environmental contaminant and disrupts the physiological status of living organisms. CPF is found to hinder the health of aquatic organisms and ecological function in aquatic systems. The current study aimed at evaluating the protective effects of vitamin C (VC) on the immune response, hematological parameters, and histopathological alterations in Nile tilapia exposed to CPF. Nile tilapia were exposed to waterborne CPF (15 μg/L) for 30 days. Fish were divided into control group: received basal diet; CPF group: received basal diet and exposed to waterborne CPF; VC group: received basal diet plus 0.8 mg VC/kg; and CPF/VC group: received basal diet plus 0.8 mg VC/kg and exposed to waterborne CPF. Blood samples were taken after 15 days and 30 days of the treatment. Liver, gills, and intestine tissues were collected on the 30th day of treatment. CPF showed a deleterious effect on fish's growth performance; it decreased the weight gain by 6%, while VC increased it by 17-23% compared to the control group. CPF group recorded the lowest survival rate (83%), while VC achieved survivability of 96.7% and 93.3% in VC and CPF/VC groups, respectively. The blood picture revealed moderate changes in the CPF group, where the marked alteration was in the hemoglobin concentration and white blood cells. CPF disrupted the hepatic and renal function. Serum lysozyme activity, phagocytic activity, and phagocytic index displayed a dramatic decline in the CPF group but enhanced in VC and CPF/VC groups. An upregulation was observed in antioxidant genes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase), heat shock protein 70, caspase-3, and the cytokines interleukin 1β, interleukin 8, and interferon-gamma in the CPF group. Simultaneously, moderate or normal levels were shown in the VC and CPF/VC groups. CPF altered the histoarchitecture of gills, intestine, and hepatopancreas with apparent degenerative changes possibly resulted from the oxidative stress. At the same time, VC retained the normal structure of the studied tissues. This study raises concerns about the safety of CPF and its impact on the aquatic environment. VC has a high potential to restore the normal physiology of fish exposed to CPF.

Understanding of Blast Furnace Performance with Biomass Introduction

The blast furnace still dominates the production and supply of metallic units for steelmaking. Coke and coal used in the blast furnace contribute substantially to CO2 emissions from the steel sector. Therefore, blast furnace operators are making great efforts to lower the fossil CO2 emissions and transition to fossil-free steelmaking. In previous studies the use of pre-treated biomass has been indicated to have great potential to significantly lower fossil CO2 emissions. Even negative CO2 emission can be achieved if biomass is used together with carbon capture and storage. Blast furnace conditions will change at substantial inputs of biomass but can be defined through model calculations when using a model calibrated with actual operational data to define the key blast furnace performance parameters. To understand the effect, the modelling results for different biomass cases are evaluated in detail and the overall performance is visualised in Rist- and carbon direct reduction rate (CDRR) diagrams. In this study injection of torrefied biomass or charcoal, top charging of charcoal as well as the use of a combination of both methods are evaluated in model calculations. It was found that significant impact on the blast furnace conditions by the injection of 142 kg/tHM of torrefied biomass could be counteracted by also top-charging 30 kg/tHM of charcoal. With combined use of the latter methods, CO2-emissions can be potentially reduced by up to 34% with moderate change in blast furnace conditions and limited investments.

Hysteresis, latent heat and cycling effects on the magnetocaloric response of (NiMnSi)0.66(Fe2Ge)0.34 alloy

In this work, we further analyze the promising magnetocaloric (NiMnSi)0.66(Fe2Ge)0.34 alloy, which presents isothermal entropy change values as large as 29 J kg−1 K−1 for 2 T at room temperature. It undergoes a magnetostructural transition accompanied by large thermal/magnetic hysteresis, which remains up to high magnetic fields (corroborated by the elaboration of an experimental magnetic phase diagram). We illustrate that this huge hysteretic behavior (i.e. different responses when magnetizing or demagnetizing) can lead to erroneous interpretation of the order of the phase transition by applying the conventional Banerjee's criterion or the recently developed field dependence analysis of the magnetocaloric effect. Additionally, the cyclability of the response is characterized, showing that after several measurements the magnetocaloric response is significantly reduced (by ≈ 40%) due to sample breaking. These dependences together with the large latent heat of the transition (15.0 kJ kg−1) lead to relatively small values of the adiabatic temperature change for powdered samples at moderate field changes, reaching around 0.6 K for 1.75 T by direct measurement methods.