Process Streams Research Articles

Functional geometry of auditory cortical resting state networks derived from intracranial electrophysiology.

Understanding central auditory processing critically depends on defining underlying auditory cortical networks and their relationship to the rest of the brain. We addressed these questions using resting state functional connectivity derived from human intracranial electroencephalography. Mapping recording sites into a low-dimensional space where proximity represents functional similarity revealed a hierarchical organization. At a fine scale, a group of auditory cortical regions excluded several higher-order auditory areas and segregated maximally from the prefrontal cortex. On mesoscale, the proximity of limbic structures to the auditory cortex suggested a limbic stream that parallels the classically described ventral and dorsal auditory processing streams. Identities of global hubs in anterior temporal and cingulate cortex depended on frequency band, consistent with diverse roles in semantic and cognitive processing. On a macroscale, observed hemispheric asymmetries were not specific for speech and language networks. This approach can be applied to multivariate brain data with respect to development, behavior, and disorders.

Removal and Recovery of Copper from Industrial Waste Streams: Design of an Electrochemical Cell

Copper (Cu) exists in a variety of wastewater and process streams in a host of chemical, manufacturing, and commercial industries. These instances include complex streams from chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) processes in the semiconductor industry, rinse streams from plating baths at electroplaters, and commercial discharge to surface waters requiring Cu concentrations to be well below 1 ppm. Conventionally, the removal of Cu from wastewater has followed two routes: (1) precipitation with an iron-based coagulant and (2) ion exchange (IX) to selectively removal lower concentrations of Cu.1 Coagulation approaches, while effective, produce a notable amount of sludge waste that must be disposed of properly. Recovery of specific metals from this sludge is also quite difficult, meaning that the value in the metals that are removed with the sludge would be lost. IX, while also a long-validated technology, needs to be used under highly specific conditions and often leads to unreliable separations, particularly during production upsets in upstream equipment.Electrochemical separations can alleviate many of the problems in existing wastewater treatment techniques. In particular, capacitive deionization (CDI) as an electrochemical separation route has seen significant development over the last decade, highlighting the ability for electrochemical cells to be used in new and useful ways.2 However, CDI often suffers from diminished separation lifetime and lack of high selectivity during the separation process, although gains in selectivity have been recently explored.3 In this talk, the use of a new electrochemical process will be reviewed for the selective removal and recovery of Cu.4 Use of asymmetric carbon electrodes in an electrochemical cell is found to provide localized conditions capable of effectively removing >95% of Cu from an influent stream while symmetric configurations offer much lower levels of Cu removal. Design of the carbon electrodes for fast Cu removal kinetics along with approaches to design of the electrochemical cell for high throughput will be reviewed. Electrode density, surface area, and spacing are found to impact the effectiveness of the resulting separation. Lifetime of this new separation process will also be reviewed with demonstrations of >20 hours of operation. Degradation mechanisms and the ability to mitigate loss of performance will be presented.

Dorsal visual stream and LIMK1: hemideletion, haplotype, and enduring effects in children with Williams syndrome

BackgroundWilliams syndrome (WS), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by hemizygous deletion of ~ 25 genes from chromosomal band 7q11.23, affords an exceptional opportunity to study associations between a well-delineated genetic abnormality and a well-characterized neurobehavioral profile. Clinically, WS is typified by increased social drive (often termed “hypersociability”) and severe visuospatial construction deficits. Previous studies have linked visuospatial problems in WS with alterations in the dorsal visual processing stream. We investigated the impacts of hemideletion and haplotype variation of LIMK1, a gene hemideleted in WS and linked to neuronal maturation and migration, on the structure and function of the dorsal stream, specifically the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), a region known to be altered in adults with WS.MethodsWe tested for IPS structural and functional changes using longitudinal MRI in a developing cohort of children with WS (76 visits from 33 participants, compared to 280 visits from 94 typically developing age- and sex-matched participants) over the age range of 5–22. We also performed MRI studies of 12 individuals with rare, shorter hemideletions at 7q11.23, all of which included LIMK1. Finally, we tested for effects of LIMK1 variation on IPS structure and imputed LIMK1 expression in two independent cohorts of healthy individuals from the general population.ResultsIPS structural (p < 10−4 FDR corrected) and functional (p < .05 FDR corrected) anomalies previously reported in adults were confirmed in children with WS, and, consistent with an enduring genetic mechanism, were stable from early childhood into adulthood. In the short hemideletion cohort, IPS deficits similar to those in WS were found, although effect sizes were smaller than those found in WS for both structural and functional findings. Finally, in each of the two general population cohorts stratified by LIMK1 haplotype, IPS gray matter volume (pdiscovery < 0.05 SVC, preplication = 0.0015) and imputed LIMK1 expression (pdiscovery = 10−15, preplication = 10−23) varied according to LIMK1 haplotype.ConclusionsThis work offers insight into neurobiological and genetic mechanisms responsible for the WS phenotype and also more generally provides a striking example of the mechanisms by which genetic variation, acting by means of molecular effects on a neural intermediary, can influence human cognition and, in some cases, lead to neurocognitive disorders.

Selective removal of uranium from aqueous streams using synergistic adsorbents

Maintaining radioactive uranium-free aquatic environment is essential for our survival. To achieve this, efficient adsorbents have been developed to remove hazardous uranium present in aqueous streams. The recovered uranium has also its important applications in power production. In this respect, silica gels anchored with phosphate functional groups have been chosen as the adsorbents as they are economic materials and easy to apply for large scale. The development done here is the formation of solid synergistic silica gel beads (SSBs) without applying the extrusion technology which is generally used for making pellets out of the phosphate functionalized silica gel powders. These adsorbents are selective for binding with uranium(VI) even when very competitive ions including vanadium are present at high concentrations. This is a challenging task for chemists where these adsorbents execute well. Kinetics of uranium uptake using these adsorbents is fast. Extraction coefficient (Kd) as high as 7.1x103 has been obtained using the synergistic mixtures. The observations have found potential applications for efficient uranium binding from various simulated aqueous streams and also from uranium metal plant process stream. Moreover, XPS experiments have been employed to establish the binding mechanisms. These beads can be synthesized economically; they are able to extract uranium(VI) in substantial quantity and have been tested in real process streams. Therefore, they are applicable at industrial scale.

Agricultural land use weakens the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Leaf litter decomposition is a significant ecosystem process for streams' energy provisioning, while species‐specific decomposition rates often form a continuum from slow to fast decomposing species allowing for resources' availability to stream consumers over a longer time period after leaf fall. Leaf litter mixtures in streams typically comprise leaf species varying in their traits, allowing for litter diversity effects on decomposition. At the same time, agricultural land use, habitat characteristics, water quality and invertebrate composition modulate leaf litter decomposition. To identify leaf litter diversity effects and disentangle the roles of agricultural intensity, habitat characteristics, water quality and invertebrate composition for leaf litter processing in streams, we quantified leaf litter decomposition of three leaf species covering a gradient from slow to fast decomposing species, tested either individually or as a three‐species mixture. The study was conducted over 21 days across 18 streams with a gradient of agricultural intensity (percent agricultural land use) in their catchments. We found leaf litter diversity effects in terms of complementarity under low to intermediate agricultural intensity, given that slow decomposing leaf species decomposed almost twice as fast in the three‐species mixture compared to the observations on individual leaf species. This leaf litter diversity effect decreased with increasing agricultural intensity, suggesting that agriculture weakens the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship. However, pathways by which agriculture affected decomposition differed between single‐species and mixed‐species scenarios. For the single‐species scenario, negative effects of agriculture appeared to be mediated through effects on the proportion of sensitive detritivore species and altered habitat characteristics. For the mixed‐species scenario, altered water quality negatively affected the proportion of sensitive detritivore species, in turn reducing the diversity effect on functioning. Our results suggest that the weakened biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship under increasing agricultural intensity might be a significant factor threatening carbon cycling and food web integrity in streams.

Methodology for ranking internal corrosion-induced leakage susceptibility in oilfield pipelines

ABSTRACT This investigation focuses on the ranking of pipeline leakage susceptibility of two categories of pipeline systems. One consists of three oilfield water-handling pipeline systems and the other consists of five dry crude systems. Online corrosion monitoring (OCM) method was used for both systems, forthermore, in-line inspection (ILI) method, with Magnetic Flux leakage (MFL) tool, was also used for the dry crude systems. The OCM leakage susceptibility potential is derived from the combined severity of general corrosion, pitting corrosion, fluid corrosivity and sessile bacteria population density in the process streams. The ILI leakage susceptibility potential is derived from the average number of corrosion anomalies greater than 10% of the wall thickness and the maximum depth of the anomalies (as percentage of the wall thickness). In spite of such distinctions, the ranking of pipeline leakage susceptibility for the five dry crude pipeline segments turned out to be identical for the two methodologies.

Assessment of renewable energy use in natural gas liquid processing by improved process integration with heat pumps

Decarbonisation of the industrial sector is a crucial objective in new technological developments responding to global challenges. Energy-intensive industry is one of the biggest pollutants and it is mostly supplied by fossil fuels. This paper presents the methodology for the assessment of electrified options for the process industry based on systematic process integration techniques. The graphical representation was used to analyse the physical processes of the industrial unit. The improved heat recovery and electrified utility targeting were performed by using the Grand Composite Curve and analysing the main process streams and distillation column system. The electrified thermal utility system uses electric steam boilers, water coolers, heat pumps, etc. The case study analyses the natural gas liquid processing and assesses electrified thermal utility. The initial process was simulated in a UniSim environment and obtained thermophysical properties of process streams were used for the analysis. The integrated electrified scenario presumes using a low-pressure steam boiler, water coolers, propylene coolers and 3 heat pumps. Heat recovery was increased by 4 times compared to the initial process and 100% electrified thermal utilities were used. The energy cost was reduced by 41% and the carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 512,778 tons per capita compared to existing process when using renewable energy for electrified utility. The approach can be used for further development of industry decarbonisation options and electricity targeting in process industries.

Dissociating representations of affect and motion in visual cortices.

While a delicious dessert being presented to us may elicit strong feelings of happiness and excitement, the same treat falling slowly away can lead to sadness and disappointment. Our emotional response to the item depends on its visual motion direction. Despite this importance, it remains unclear whether (and how) cortical areas devoted to decoding motion direction represents or integrates emotion with perceived motion direction. Motion-selective visual area V5/MT+ sits, both functionally and anatomically, at the nexus of dorsal and ventral visual streams. These pathways, however, differ in how they are modulated by emotional cues. The current study was designed to disentangle how emotion and motion perception interact, as well as use emotion-dependent modulation of visual cortices to understand the relation of V5/MT+ to canonical processing streams. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), approaching, receding, or static motion after-effects (MAEs) were induced on stationary positive, negative, and neutral stimuli. An independent localizer scan was conducted to identify the visual-motion area V5/MT+. Through univariate and multivariate analyses, we demonstrated that emotion representations in V5/MT+ share a more similar response profile to that observed in ventral visual than dorsal, visual structures. Specifically, V5/MT+ and ventral structures were sensitive to the emotional content of visual stimuli, whereas dorsal visual structures were not. Overall, this work highlights the critical role of V5/MT+ in the representation and processing of visually acquired emotional content. It further suggests a role for this region in utilizing affectively salient visual information to augment motion perception of biologically relevant stimuli.

Simultaneous design and NMPC control under uncertainty and structural decisions: A discrete‐steepest descent algorithm

AbstractIn this article, we address the integration of design and nonlinear model‐based control under uncertainty and structural decisions for naturally ordered structures. We propose an algorithmic framework to determine the optimal location of process units or streams over an ordered discrete set that operates in closed‐loop with a model‐based controller. The formulation corresponds to a mixed‐integer bilevel problem (MIBLP) that is transformed into a single‐level mixed‐integer nonlinear problem (MINLP) using a KKT transformation strategy. In our methodology, the integer decisions are partitioned into subsets called external variables, such that the MINLP is decomposed into an integer‐based master problem and primal subproblems with fixed discrete variables. The master and primal problems are solved using a Discrete‐Steepest Descent Algorithm (D‐SDA). We illustrate the discrete‐based methodology in a case study for a binary distillation column. The D‐SDA showed an improved performance compared to a benchmark continuous‐based formulation using differentiable distribution functions (DDFs).

Steam Explosion of Eucalyptus grandis Sawdust for Ethanol Production within a Biorefinery Approach

In this work, Eucalyptus grandis sawdust was subjected to steam explosion as the first step in cellulosic ethanol production within a biorefinery approach. The effect of the moisture content in the eucalypt sawdust (8 and 50%) and pretreatment process variables, such as temperature and residence time, were evaluated along with the influence of the water washing of steam-exploded solids on enzymatic hydrolysis and C6 fermentation yields. All other process streams were characterized to evaluate the recovery yield of valuable co-products. A recovery of nearly 100% glucans in the solid fraction and 60% xylans in the liquid fraction, mainly as partially acetylated oligomers, was obtained. The best enzymatic hydrolysis efficiencies (66–67%) were achieved after pretreatment at 205 °C for 10 min. The washing of pretreated sawdust with water improved the hydrolysis efficiencies and ethanol production yields by 10% compared to the unwashed pretreated solids under the same experimental condition. The highest ethanol yields were achieved after pretreatment of the sawdust with an 8% moisture content at 205 °C for 10 min, enzymatic hydrolysis at 13 wt% total solids with 25 FPU/g glucans, and fermentation with S. cerevisiae PE-2. In this case, 227 L ethanol and 40 kg total xylose (including xylo-oligomers) were obtained per ton of dry eucalypt sawdust.

Online event recognition over noisy data streams

Composite event recognition (CER) systems process streams of sensor data and infer composite events of interest by means of pattern matching. Data uncertainty is frequent in CER applications and results in erroneous detection. To support streaming applications, we present oPIECbd, an extension of oPIEC with a bounded memory, leveraging interval duration statistics to resolve memory conflicts. oPIECbd may achieve comparable predictive accuracy to batch reasoning, avoiding the prohibitive cost of such reasoning. Furthermore, the use of interval duration statistics allows oPIECbd to outperform significantly earlier versions of bounded oPIEC. The empirical evaluation demonstrates the efficacy of oPIECbd on a benchmark activity recognition dataset, as well as real data streams from the field of maritime situational awareness.

Hodological organization of spoken language production and singing in the human brain

Theories expounding the neural relationship between speech and singing range from sharing neural circuitry, to relying on opposite hemispheres. Yet, hodological studies exploring their shared and distinct neural networks remain scarce. In this study, we combine a white matter connectometry approach together with comprehensive and naturalistic appraisal of verbal expression during spoken language production and singing in a sample of individuals with post-stroke aphasia. Our results reveal that both spoken language production and singing are mainly supported by the left hemisphere language network and projection pathways. However, while spoken language production mostly engaged dorsal and ventral streams of speech processing, singing was associated primarily with the left ventral stream. These findings provide evidence that speech and singing share core neuronal circuitry within the left hemisphere, while distinct ventral stream contributions explain frequently observed dissociations in aphasia. Moreover, the results suggest prerequisite biomarkers for successful singing-based therapeutic interventions.

Optimal integration modeling of Co – Electrolysis in a power-to-liquid industrial process

High temperature co-electrolysis using solid-oxide electrolysis cells is a highly efficient pathway for green syngas production owing to the possibility of heat integration with other processes. Therefore, this study described and evaluates a flexible and efficient configuration for producing sustainable synthetic fuels using electricity from renewables and captured CO2 by integrating co-electrolysis in a power-to-liquid industrial plant. Thereafter, novel and efficient technologies were implemented for green syngas production and its subsequent purification, increasing the overall process efficiency and achieving a significant reduction in the carbon footprint compared to mature synthetic crude production processes. Catalytic partial oxidation and dual pressure swing adsorption were integrated with co-electrolysis and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis in a scaled industrial plant, using residual streams from the complex or those of renewable origin as feed, which allowed the continuous operation of the process independent of renewable power generation. The mass and energy balance, performance, and efficiency estimations were also included in this study. A solid-oxide electrolytic cell (SOEC) plant using renewable electricity and heat input from thermal integration with the outlet syngas stream of the catalytic partial oxidation reactor was selected as a case study. Both the performance and efficiency analyses of the co-electrolysis unit demonstrated the benefits of such thermal integration in comparison with current solutions. In this study, both the thermal integration of the process streams, as well as the energy and heat consumed by the syngas purification process were considered.

The use of Lean Six Sigma to improve the quality of coconut shell briquette products

Lean Six Sigma is a systematic and scientific operations management methodology aimed to improve the performance of their manufacturing processes through the elimination of waste. The objective of this paper is to analyses the problem of increasing demand of briquettes in BriqCo (Briquettes Coconut shell Charcoal) company. in this case, the company has a waste problem due to defective products amounting to 10.2% of the total production of 169.298 kg. The high defects cause the company to suffer losses profits due to the re-production process of defects and a decrease in selling because the unsuitable quality. This study uses the Lean Six Sigma – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) method. The define stages use the SIPOC diagram to determine the elements involved in the production process and Value Stream Mapping. Measure stages to determine the level of sigma based on production results. The analyze uses a fishbone diagram to determine the root cause problems. In improve, the application of the 5S Method and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) proposed for a work improvement process that aims to improve the production process. In Control stage, the application of new SOP conducted to improve the production process in order to reduce defects. Based on the results, the initial sigma level reached 3.19. The causes of defects in briquette products consist of human, material, machine, method and environmental factors. With the application of 5S through SOP, it is expected that the level of disability will decrease by 50%.

A Statistical Theory for Sampling of Particulate Materials

The concepts currently applied to the sampling of broken minerals and particulate materials were recognised over 100 years ago. The first integrated theory of sampling for the mineral industries was proposed by Gy, who brought together means of estimation of the variance of sampling due to both the particulate nature of a broken ore and the time variation of composition of process streams. However, his theory deals only with sampling variance and cannot determine the full sampling distribution. The full distribution of the composition of potential samples arising from their particulate nature is developed in this paper based solely on the assumption that particle numbers in correct samples follow independent Poisson distributions. The enabling mathematical method is the use of the characteristic function of the sampling distribution. The practical means of calculating the full distribution completes the theory of sampling of particulate materials. The method is applied to a sample of gold ore to calculate the full sampling distribution and effectively clarifies several difficulties when sampling this material. The method has general applicability to all particulate materials, including foodstuffs.

Time and visual-spatial illusions: Evidence for cross-dimensional interference between duration and illusory size

Time and space are intimately related to each other. Previous evidence has shown that stimulus size can affect perceived duration even when size differences are illusory. In the present study, we investigated the effect of visual-spatial illusions on duration judgments in a temporal reproduction paradigm. Specifically, we induced the Ebbinghaus illusion (Exp. 1) and the horizontal-vertical illusion (Exp. 2) during the encoding phase of the target interval or the reproduction phase. The results showed (a) that illusory size affects temporal processing similarly to the way physical size does, (b) that the effect is independent of whether the illusion appeared during encoding or reproduction, and (c) that the interference between size and temporal processing is bidirectional. These results suggest a rather late locus of size-time interference in the processing stream.

An efficient and random synthesis method for mass exchange networks with multi-component using a node-based vertical non-structural model

Mass exchange network (MEN) synthesis is an important technique to ensure efficient purification of industrial waste gas sources and water streams. However, most existing models for MEN synthesis are not capable of dealing with multi-component problems and achieving optimal designs. In this study, an innovative process integration strategy based on a node-based vertical non-structural model (NV-NSM) is proposed. The developed strategy allows for a more random representation of process configuration and aids in handling both single- and multi-component problems. The NV-NSM arranges several groups of main nodes in the process streams and the sub-nodes in their branches and results in design configurations by connecting any two sub-nodes on the rich and lean streams at the same main node number. When dealing with multi-component synthesis, the number of tray column is directly optimized to balance the mass transfer needs of different components. As part of the current investigation, the random walk algorithm with compulsive evolution (RWCE) is established to realize the simultaneous optimization of multiple variables, including the mass transfer loads, the number of trays, the stream split ratios, and the flowrates of lean streams. Furthermore, the fine-search strategy based on the RWCE is applied to improve global and local optimization performance. Finally, the proposed method is applied to four MEN cases featuring different exchanger specifications and considering both single and multiple components. The implementation and analysis result in more optimal solutions compared to those published in the literature, demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method in analyzing and evaluating different MEN problems, including multi-component ones.

A Comparison between High-Performance Countercurrent Chromatography and Fast-Centrifugal Partition Chromatography for a One-Step Isolation of Flavonoids from Peanut Hulls Supported by a Conductor like Screening Model for Real Solvents.

Peanut hulls (Arachis hypogaea, Leguminosae), which are a side stream of global peanut processing, are rich in bioactive flavonoids such as luteolin, eriodictyol, and 5,7-dihydroxychromone. This study aimed to isolate these flavonoid derivatives by liquid-liquid chromatography with as few steps as possible. To this end, luteolin, eriodictyol and 5,7-dihydroxychromone were isolated from peanut hulls using two different techniques, high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC) and fast-centrifugal partition chromatography (FCPC). The suitability of the biphasic solvent system composed of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1.0/1.0/1.0/1.5; v/v/v/v) was determined by the Conductor like Screening Model for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS), which allowed the partition ratio KD-values of the three main flavonoids to be calculated. After a one-step HPCCC separation of ~1000 mg of an ethanolic peanut hull extract, 15 mg of luteolin and 8 mg of eriodictyol were isolated with purities over 96%. Furthermore, 3 mg of 5,7-dihydroxychromone could be isolated after purification by semi-preparative reversed-phase liquid chromatography (semi-prep. HPLC) in purity of over 99%. The compounds were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).

Polarimetric airborne scientific instrument, mark 2, an ice‐sounding airborne synthetic aperture radar for subglacial 3D imagery

AbstractPolarimetric Airborne Scientific INstrument, mark 2 (PASIN2) is a 150 MHz coherent pulsed radar with the purpose of deep ice sounding for bedrock, subglacial channels and ice‐water interface detection in Antarctica. It is designed and operated by the British Antarctic Survey from 2014. With multiple antennas, oriented along and across‐track, for transmission and reception, it enables polarimetric 3D estimation of the ice base with a single pass, reducing the gridding density of the survey paths. The off‐line data processing stream consists of channel calibration; 2D synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging based on back‐projection, for along‐track and range dimensions; and finally, a direction of arrival estimation (DoA) of the remaining across‐track angle, by modifying the non‐linear MUSIC algorithm. Calibration flights, during the Antarctic Summer campaigns in 16/17 and 19/20 seasons, assessed and validated the instrument and processing performances. Imaging flights over ice streams and ice shelves close to grounding lines demonstrate the 3D sensing capabilities. By resolving directional ambiguities and accounting for reflector across‐track location, the true ice thickness and bed elevation are obtained, thereby removing the error of the usual assumption of vertical DoA, that greatly influence the output of flow models of ice dynamics.

INDIANA—In-Network Distributed Infrastructure for Advanced Network Applications

Data volumes are exploding as sensors proliferate and become more capable. Edge computing is envisioned as a path to distribute processing and reduce latency. Many models of Edge computing consider small devices running conventional software. Our model includes a more lightweight execution engine for network microservices and a network scheduling framework to configure network processing elements to process streams and direct the appropriate traffic to them. In this article, we describe INDIANA, a complete framework for in-network microservices. We will describe how the two components-the INDIANA network Processing Element (InPE) and the Flange Network Operating System (NOS)-work together to achieve effective in-network processing to improve performance in edge to cloud environments. Our processing elements provide lightweight compute units optimized for efficient stream processing. These elements are customizable and vary in sophistication and resource consumption. The Flange NOS provides first-class flow based reasoning to drive function placement, network configuration, and load balancing that can respond dynamically to network conditions. We describe design considerations and discuss our approach and implementations. We evaluate the performance of stream processing and examine the performance of several exemplar applications on networks of increasing scale and complexity.