bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Convective Heat Transfer of Turbulent Gas Flow in Micro-Tubes With Constant Wall Temperature (Cooled Case)
Authors: Isobe Kyohei , Hong Chungpyo , Asako Yutaka , Ueno Ichiro
Published: July 2013

Numerical computations were performed to obtain for heat transfer characteristics of turbulent gas flow in micro-tubes with constant wall temperature whose temperature is lower than the inlet temperature (cooled case). The numerical methodology was based on Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerinan (ALE) method to solve compressible momentum and energy equations. The Lam-Bremhorst Low-Reynolds number turbulence model was employed to evaluate eddy viscosity coefficient and turbulence energy. The tube diameter ranges from 100 μm to 400 μm and the aspect ratio of the tube diameter and the length is fixed at 200. The stagnation temperature was fixed at 300 K and the computations were done for wall temperature, which ranged from 250 K to 295 K. The stagnation pressure was chosen in such a way that the flow is in turbulent flow regime. The results in wide range of Reynolds number and Mach number were obtained. The bulk temperature based on the static temperature and the total temperature of the cooled case are compared with those of heated case and also with temperatures of the incompressible flow. The result shows that different heat transfer characteristics are obtained for each cooled and heated case. A correlation for the prediction of the heat transfer rate of the turbulent gas flow in a micro-tube is proposed.
Effects of Production Methods on the Particle Morphology and Properties of Aqueous Au Nanofluids
Authors: Lee Ji-Hwan , Lee Seoung Youn , Kim Hyun Jin , Lee Seung-Hyun , Jang Seok Pil , Choi Stephen U. S.
Published: July 2013

In this study, the effects of nanofluid production methods on the particle morphology and properties of aqueous gold (Au) nanofluids are investigated using chemical reduction (referred as Turkevich method). Sonication method is used to provide energy for the production of Au nanofluids. Applied energy to the production of nanofluids and temperature of the reduction reaction are two main parameters in the production of aqueous Au nanofluids, affecting the particle size and dispersion state of Au nanofluids even though same production method is used. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) are used to characterize particle size, shape and distribution. The thermal conductivities of Au nanofluids are measured by the custom-made transient hot wire system. Uncertainty of the measurements is less than ±1.5%. The pH and electrical conductivities are also measured by commercial products in this study. Temperature range of measuring properties is 10–30 °C. Experimental results show that production methods can affect the particle morphology and transport properties of Au nanofluids. Sizes of produced Au nanoparticles are 20–40 nm depending on the production methods and parameters. Through characterization and experimental results of Au nanofluids, we found the optimum conditions for production of aqueous Au nanofluids which have high thermal conductivity, small particle size and well dispersed characteristics.
Microscale Behaviors of Dropwise Condensation: Reflection Spectrum Analysis
Authors: Lan Zhong , Xu Wei , Zhu Xia , Ma Xuehu
Published: July 2013

The clustering phenomenon on the solid wall during dropwise condensation is analyzed with reflection spectrum. From the theoretical prediction of the reflectivity for thin liquid films with different thickness on stainless steel surface, it is ascertained that the reflectivity corresponds to the coacervate characteristics of the steam molecular. Furthermore, the experimental data of the reflection spectrum during dropwise condensation in literature also demonstrated that the reflection feature and so as the coacervate characters lie between liquid and steam after the droplet departing during an actual continuous condensation process. The clustering model is used to analyze the results, indicating that clusters form on the blank surface. And it is found that different microstructures of the solid wall would lead to different deposition rates of the clusters, which prompts an effective way to enhance heat transfer process of condensation by accelerating the deposition rate of clusters with surface modification.
Effect of Interlayer Between Semiconductors on Interfacial Thermal Transport
Authors: Liang Zhi , Tsai Hai-Lung
Published: July 2013

Due to the high surface–to–volume ratio in nanostructured components and devices, thermal transport across the solid–solid interface strongly affects the overall thermal behavior. Materials such as Si, Ge, SiO2 and GaAs are widely used in advanced semiconductor devices. These materials may have differences in both crystal structure and Debye temperature. We have shown that the thermal transport across such interfaces can be improved by inserting an interlayer between the two confining solids.

If the two confining solids are similar in crystal structure and lattice constant but different in Debye temperature, it is predicted from the molecular dynamics modeling that an over 50% reduction of the thermal boundary resistance can be achieved by inserting a 1– to 2–nm–thick interlayer which has similar crystal structure and lattice constant as the two solids. In this case, the Debye temperature of the optimized interlayer is approximately the square root of the product of the Debye temperatures of the two solids. However, if the interlayer has large lattice mismatches with the two confining solids, a thin disordered layer is formed in the solid and in the interlayer adjacent to their interface. Such a disordered layer can distort the phonon density of states at the interface and strongly affects the interfacial phonon transport. In this case, it is found that a 70% reduction of the thermal boundary resistance can be achieved if the lattice constant of the interlayer is smaller than that of the two solids and the Debye temperature of the interlayer is approximately the average of the Debye temperatures of the two solids.

On the other hand, if the two solids have a large difference in both lattice constant and Debye temperature, the optimized interlayer should have a lattice constant near the average of the lattice constants of the two solids. For this case, an over 60% reduction of the thermal boundary resistance can be achieved if the Debye temperature of the interlayer is equal to or slightly higher than the square root of the product of the Debye temperatures of the two solids. The calculated phonon density of states shows that the distorted phonon spectra induced by large lattice mismatches are generally broader than the phonon spectra of the corresponding undistorted case. The broader interfacial phonon spectra increase the overlap between the phonon spectra of the two solids at the interface which leads to improved thermal boundary transport.
Evanescent-Wave Particle Velocimetry Studies of Electrokinetically Driven Flows: Divalent Counterion Effects
Authors: Cevheri Necmettin , Yoda Minami
Published: July 2013

Characterizing the mainly incompressible and laminar flows of aqueous electrolyte solutions through channels with an overall dimension of O(1–100 μm) is of interest in a variety of microfluidics applications. Solid surfaces such as the channel wall become (usually negatively) charged due to direct ionization or dissociation of surface groups, where the charge is typically characterized by the wall zeta-potential ζw. The surface in turn attracts mobile counterions from the fluid to form a (usually positively) charged screening, or electric double, layer (EDL).

An external electric field can therefore be used to “pump” fluids through microfluidic Labs-on-a-Chip (LOC) by driving the charged fluid in the EDL. The resulting electroosmotic flow (EOF) is uniform outside the EDL, which has a thickness less than 50 nm in most cases. This uniform flow results in a more favorable scaling of the volume flowrate with channel diameter for microchannels, and also has less convective dispersion than shear flows. Electroosmotic flow is, however, very sensitive to changes in ζw. Various studies have shown, for example, that adding multivalent counterions to a monovalent electrolyte solution can greatly change ζw through both electrostatic and chemical interactions, even leading to “charge inversion” where the zeta-potential changes its sign.

Evanescent-wave particle velocimetry, which tracks the motion of colloidal fluorescent tracer particles illuminated by evanescent waves within ∼400 nm of the wall, was therefore used to study the flow of various aqueous monovalent electrolyte solutions with small amounts of divalent cations such as Mg++ driven by an electric field through channels with a minimum dimension of ∼30 μm. The technique measures both the velocity components parallel to the wall and the steady-state distribution of these near-wall tracers. In these experiments, the tracers are convected parallel to the wall by both the EOF and directly by the applied electric field via electrophoresis because the surfaces of the particles also become negatively charged when suspended in the electrolyte solution. The electrophoretic contribution to the measured particle velocity was determined by measuring the particle zeta-potential with light scattering, and subtracted from the particle velocity to determine the actual EOF velocity.
Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Individual Polythiophene Nanofibers With Suspended Micro-Resistance Thermometer Devices
Authors: McMenamin Sally A. , Weathers Annie , Singh Virendra , Pettes Michael T. , Cola Baratunde A. , Shi Li
Published: July 2013

High thermal conductivity, comparable to that of a metal, has been observed in some stretched polyethylene nanofibers due to a decrease in defect density with the alignment of the polymer chains. Such high thermal conductivity may be useful for thermal management applications such as thermal adhesives made of aligned nanofibers. Polythiophene (Pth) is a conducting polymer that can be synthesized electrochemically as aligned nanofiber forests without the need for stretching individual fibers. Here we report the thermal conductivity of individual suspended Pth nanofibers synthesized electrochemically and measured with the use of a microfabricated device in the temperature range of 80 K to 375 K. The measured thermal conductivity increases with temperature. For three single suspended Pth nanofibers with a diameter on the order of 200 nm, the room temperature value between 0.6 and 0.8 W/m K is about four-fold higher than that reported for Pth thin films and comparable to that reported for binder-filler thermal adhesives.
Improving DSMC Inlet/Outlet Flow Boundary Conditions for Gas Mixtures Using the Chapman-Enskog Distribution
Authors: Ahmadzadegan Amir , Wen John , Renksizbulut Metin
Published: July 2013

Prescribed pressure is the most common flow boundary condition used in microchannel flow simulations. In the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, boundary pressure is controlled by the number flux of the simulating molecules which enter the domain through the boundary. This number flux, in the conventional DSMC algorithm, is calculated iteratively using sampled values of velocity and number density and an expression derived from the Maxwell distribution function. This procedure does not work well for low speed flows where the role of the molecules entering from the flow boundaries becomes important. The statistical scatter of the DSMC results is generally known to be the main reason; however, the Maxwell distribution used in the pressure boundary treatment is valid just for equilibrium conditions. Accordingly, current implementations of the DSMC pressure boundary treatment are limited to boundaries with sufficiently small variations of flow variables. This is not, however, the case for many practical cases in which high gradients of the flow variables close to the boundaries lead to considerable non-equilibrium effects. In this study, therefore, an expression for the inward number flux of species is derived using the Chapman-Enskog velocity distribution to improve the pressure boundary condition in dealing with gradients of the flow properties close to the boundary. The resulting algorithm is then used for modeling a micro-channel binary gas mixture flow with prescribed pressure boundary conditions. The results are compared to those obtained from the conventional DSMC simulations using the Maxwell distribution.
Phonon Scattering in Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 Superlattice
Authors: Wang Yaguo , Liebig Carl , Xu Xianfan , Venkatasubramanian Rama
Published: July 2013

Ultrafast time-resolved measurements were conducted to investigate scattering mechanism of coherent optical and acoustic phonons in Bi2Te3, Sb2Te3 and Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 superlattice (SL) films. Strong phonon scatterings in the Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 SLs are attributed to the interfaces of their hetero-structures. Moreover, decreases of acoustic phonon velocity are observed in SLs, coming from phonon folding and softening. Our results show that both the enhanced interface scattering and the reduced phonon velocity contribute to suppressing the heat transport in SLs.
Simulation of Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluids Using Dissipative Particle Dynamics
Authors: Yamada Toru , Asako Yutaka , Faghri Mohammad , Hong Chungpyo
Published: July 2013

The effective thermal conductivity of Al2O3/water and CuO/water nanofluids were modeled by numerically solving steady heat flow in one-dimensional channels. This was accomplished by using energy conserving dissipative particle dynamics (DPDe). The effects of the interfacial thermal resistance and the Brownian motion of nanoparticles were incorporated in the model by modifying the conductive interaction parameter in the energy equation. The results were presented in the form of the thermal conductivity of nanofluids as functions of particle volume fraction and temperature, and were compared with the available experimental and analytical results. The present model agreed well with the experimental results for Al2O3/water nanofluid while there were discrepancies between the model and the results for CuO/water nanofluid.
Heat Pulse Propagation Along Silicon Nanofilms
Authors: Ma Yanbao
Published: July 2013

Recent advances in nanotechnology create a demand for greater scientific understanding of the transient ballistic phonon transport at the nanoscale. It is believed that ballistic phonons may travel for long distances without destruction, but it is unclear how far they can travel. Here, a numerical model is developed to study phonon transport in silicon nanofilms. It is elucidated how thermal pulses are transmitted in silicon nanofilms by longitudinal, ballistic transverse and dispersive transverse phonons. It is found that both ballistic longitudinal and ballistic transverse phonons are highly dissipative so they can only travel for short distances, while dispersive transverse phonons at lower frequencies are less dissipative and can travel for longer distances. There exists a similarity parameter (Knudsen number) in thin-film heat conduction with different thicknesses.
Cleaning Up Gasification Producer Gas for Use in an IC Engine
Authors: Ginger Bradley
Published: July 2013

A great deal of recent commercial interest in gasification technology has been centered on the idea of conditioning the producer or syn-gas generated to a level suitable for inclusion in an internal combustion (IC) engine power generation in the 3–15 MW range. Ideally the feed stocks for the gasification system should be able to encompass a variety of opportunity fuels to reduce the energy input costs to the engine. However, these opportunity fuels can cover a wide variety of potential energy sources such as refuse derived fuels, recovered plastics, and various grades of woody biomass, which can present operational challenges to the successful operation of an IC engine. Most major IC engine manufacturers have published guideline specifications for acceptable levels of particulate matter, sulfur, halogens, trace metals, and tar dew points to be maintained in handling a gasification producer gas. The requirements can be very rigorous especially in the context of variable feed mixtures and operational variations encountered in gasification of opportunity fuels. This presentation will address commercial research efforts to adapt an emerging air pollution control technology, the EISENMANN WESP-2F, as the desired technical solution for appropriately conditioning gasification producer gas to a point where inclusion in an IC engine is feasible.

Research and testing on the aforementioned system took place using a pilot sized unit operating a slipstream off a commercial sized gasifier testing a number of opportunity fuels. Technical challenges encountered and lessons learned are recounted.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Resource Recovery Facility: Part III
Authors: Rousseau Kevin G. , Clark Llewellyn E.
Published: July 2013

This paper reviews the thirty year operating history of the Pittsfield Resource Recovery Facility with emphasis on the fifteen year period between 1996 and 2011. It is a sequel to previous papers published by the co-author in the 1982 and 1996 Proceedings of the ASME National Waste Processing Conferences. The first of these reported on the development of the project, waste disposal and steam sales contacts (Pittsfield, Vicon and Crane & Co.), the facility and equipment design, start-up and shakedown. The latter reported on the fifteen year history of operation from 1981–1996 which included a new air pollution control system and a new owner/operator (Energy Answers Corporation, EAC).

The author was Project Manager during the latter stages of Energy Answers ownership and is now the Facility Manager of Covanta Pittsfield, which was purchased by Covanta Energy in 2007. The Pittsfield facility is the oldest Covanta Waste to Energy plant operating with the Enercon modular furnace design with separate waste heat recovery boilers.

The following topics are discussed:

• Ownership of the Pittsfield Resource Recovery Facility and revised contracts.

• Process flow, temperature profile, and control system.

• Experience and modifications of Processing Equipment.

• Materials processed, steam generated, and availability of equipment.

• Residue management.

• Installation and utilization of atmospheric discharge turbine with 860 KW generator.

• Summary of Massachusetts DEP regulations and facility emissions.

The reader’s understanding will be enhanced by reviewing the two papers identified above published in the 1982 and 1996 ASME Proceedings.
Restructuring Plant Operations and Contracts to Make a First Generation RDF Plant Competitive in a Cost-Driven Market
Authors: Vrchota Stephen
Published: July 2013

In 1989, United Power Association (now Great River Energy) and Northern States Power (now Xcel Energy) formed a partnership and entered a 20 year contract with five local counties to turn MSW (municipal solid waste) into RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) and combust the RDF in converted grate-fired boilers in Elk River, MN. Great River Energy owned and operated the Energy Recovery Station (ERS) and Xcel Energy operated the Resource Processing Plant (RPP) a few miles away. The Resource Processing Plant processed 400,000 tons/year of MSW into RDF for the Energy Recovery Station and other RDF plants owned by Xcel Energy. The project was successful, but required significant subsidies from the counties to maintain competitive tipping fees. At the end of the original 20 year contract, a number of the counties wanted to reduce or end any subsidies and restructure the contracts. In the fall of 2009, lack of contracted MSW created difficult financial conditions that threatened to end the project and divert 400,000 tons/year of MSW to area landfills. In May of 2010, Great River Energy purchased the Resource Processing Plant and reorganized the project to be able to better control operating costs and maintain competitive electric rates for its customers. In 2011, Great River Energy restructured processing contracts with three of the original counties and also directly contracted with the regional MSW haulers while implementing sweeping changes in the processing of MSW. A cleaning system was installed to increase the value of the ferrous material collected during the production of RDF. The installation of a bulky waste shredder and processing changes increased the efficiency of converting MSW to RDF. In addition, the recovery of non-ferrous materials from the MSW and heavy residue was optimized. In one year of operation, the Resource Processing Plant has increased RDF production from 84% to over 95% and decreased landfilling to near zero while increasing the revenue from recovered materials. County subsidies have been significantly reduced and will phase out after 2015, tipping fees have been adjusted to be competitive with local landfills, and electric costs have been stabilized at comparable renewable energy rates.
A Truly Integrated Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) Optimized for the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Applications
Authors: Baker Ronald , Peters Robert , Chikhliwala Edul
Published: July 2013

In a previous paper presented to the NAWTEC 12 Conference [1] we described the use of Multicomponent Infrared Gas Analyzers at Waste-to-Energy Facilities. In the subsequent eight years since the paper was presented, the state-of-the-art for the technology has advanced significantly. In addition, the user base has significantly expanded leading to more widespread use of the hot-wet multicomponent technology. Experience in dealing with recurring issues has helped develop best-practice approaches for rapid startup and minimal downtime during maintenance periods. This paper describes these technological advances and best practices incorporated into this competitively priced integrated CEM system design.
The Effect of SO2/HCl Ratio on Superheater High Temperature Corrosion
Authors: Sharobem Timothy , Castaldi Marco J.
Published: July 2013

High temperature superheater corrosion is a major operating problem in waste-to-energy plants since it is responsible for plant shutdowns and low energy recovery. This has been largely attributed to the chloride content in municipal solid wastes and the subsequent reactions that occur with generated chlorine gas. While several methods have been developed to reduce corrosion, one which has received more interest is increasing the concentration of sulfur dioxide, SO2, in the boiler. The addition of SO2 to WTE post combustion gas streams has been shown at times to have a favorable impact on corrosion and is said to be an effective method of suppressing dioxin formation by reacting with molecular chlorine, Cl2.

The following paper is part of an ongoing work to understand the effect of the SO2/HCl ratio on the corrosion of alloys exposed to superheater temperatures and flue gas compositions. A commercial low carbon steel alloy, SA178A, was exposed under various flue gas compositions at 500°C, while varying the SO2/HCl ratio as well as the water concentration. For tests operated at 5% H2O, corrosion was reduced by more than 40% as the SO2/HCl ratio was increased from 1/8 to 5/8. These results were obtained in the absence of chloride salts, suggesting that SO2 can decrease chlorine corrosion by interacting with HCl. Tests conducted at 15% H2O however demonstrated a constant corrosion rate, with magnitudes comparable to 5% H2O at 1/8 SO2/HCl. Further work is needed to relate the SO2/HCl relationship to water and to elucidate the mechanism associated with mitigating corrosion.
Generating and Selling Carbon Offset Credits
Authors: Van Brunt Michael , Kantor Brigitte , Johnson Nate
Published: July 2013

New energy from waste capacity is eligible to generate carbon offsets based on a Clean Development Mechanism offset methodology through the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). To date, two facilities in North America have progressed through the carbon offset generation process, successfully validating and verifying their projects in accordance with the standard. The Lee County facility began generating carbon offsets with the 2007 emissions year, and the Hillsborough County facility has verified carbon offsets beginning with the 2009 emissions year. The credits are associated with the avoidance of landfill methane and displaced grid-connected fossil fuel electricity generation. Due to extensive conservatism on the part of the CDM methodology, approximately 0.15–0.3 tons of credits are generated per ton of waste processed, depending on the specific operation generating the offsets. This is in contrast to an overall net lifecycle greenhouse gas reduction of approximately 1 ton of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per ton of waste processed relative to the business as usual practice of landfilling. More realistic methodologies could generate offset credits at a rate approaching the life cycle benefits. However, even with the current methodology, the energy from waste carbon market could exceed 800 thousand metric tonnes per year, with a value of $1.6–$3 million a year, based on current voluntary carbon offset pricing.
Catalytic Dedioxin System Demonstration at Covanta’s Wallingford Plant
Authors: Lee Shang-Hsiu (Mike)
Published: July 2013

Although the Energy from Waste (EfW) industry has made dramatic improvements in reducing dioxin emissions over the last two decades, the presence of any dioxins in the stack gases from EfW plants continues to be a negative to the acceptance and growth of the EfW industry in the United States. Covanta Energy owns and operates 40 EfW facilities in the U.S. with average dioxin emissions 10 times below the EPA MACT standard of 30 ng/dscm. This emission standard is expected to be reduced in the coming years as the EPA implements new MACT standards. Covanta has taken the position of being in the forefront of the legislation and has an ongoing commitment to continuously lower the emissions of existing plants below regulatory requirements. This commitment has led Covanta to team with CRI Catalyst Company (CRI) to evaluate the application of CRI’s dedioxin technology (SDDS®) in Covanta’s EfW plants.
Current Status of Global WTE
Authors: Themelis Nickolas J.
Published: July 2013

This paper is based on data compiled in the course of developing, for InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), a WTE Guidebook for managers and policymakers in the Latin America and Caribbean region. As part of this work, a list was compiled of nearly all plants in the world that thermally treat nearly 200 million tons of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and produce electricity and heat. An estimated 200 WTE facilities were built, during the first decade of the 21st century, mostly in Europe and Asia. The great majority of these plants use the grate combustion of as-received MSW and produce electricity. The dominance of the grate combustion technology is apparently due to simplicity of operation, high plant availability (>90%), and facility for training personnel at existing plants. Novel gasification processes have been implemented mostly in Japan but a compilation of all Japanese WTE facilities showed that 84% of Japan’s MSW is treated in grate combustion plants. Several small-scale WTE plants (<5 tons/hour) are operating in Europe and Japan and are based both on grate combustion and in implementing WTE projects. This paper is based on the sections of the WTE Guidebook that discuss the current use of WTE technology around the world.

Since the beginning of history, humans have generated solid wastes and disposed them in makeshift waste dumps or set them on fire. After the industrial revolution, near the end of the 18th century, the amount of goods used and then discarded by people increased so much that it was necessary for cities to provide landfills and incinerators for disposing wastes. The management of urban, or municipal, solid wastes (MSW) became problematic since the middle of the 20th century when the consumption of goods, and the corresponding generation of MSW, increased by an order of magnitude. In response, the most advanced countries developed various means and technologies for dealing with solid wastes. These range from reducing wastes by designing products and packaging, to gasification technologies. Lists of several European plants are presented that co-combust medical wastes (average of 1.8% of the total feedstock) and wastewater plant residue (average of 2% of the feedstock).
ecomaine: An Integrated Waste Management System
Authors: Roche Kevin H. , Hewes Anne K.
Published: July 2013

ecomaine manages solid waste for its member communities through an integrated strategy that includes a single sort recycling center, a waste-to-energy (WTE) power plant and a 250 acre landfill for residual ash. The public organization has over 40 member communities in Maine which equates to over 24% of the State’s population. Established as a non-profit in the 1970’s with a mission to address trash disposal for future generations, a comprehensive waste system has emerged. The method of balefilling municipal solid waste (MSW) was replaced by a state-of-the-art WTE facility in 1988 and the multiple-sort recycling system was upgraded to a single-sort advanced system in 2007. Roughly 170,000 tons of MSW are processed through the WTE facility each year. This results in an average of 83,000–105,000 megawatt-hours of electricity generated annually. Since 2005, recycling tonnage has increased 71% from 21,000 to 36,000 tons. The State of Maine established a “Solid Waste Management Hierarchy” in 2007 cascading in disposal preference from Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Compost, Waste-to-Energy to Landfilling MSW. ecomaine is researching the feasibility of implementing an organics recovery system that would include food waste to further advance the Solid Waste Hierarchy and State’s recycling goal of 50%. ecomaine continues to manage its resources through innovation that highlight the resiliency of an integrated waste management system. For example, ecomaine has adapted to periods of waste shortages through strategies of caching MSW during times of higher waste generation and storing that waste until it is needed. ecomaine selects cover material for temporary use that is combustible so that it can efficiently be processed through the WTE facility. When fuel is scarce, the cached material is returned to the WTE as a fuel input. Another example, of matching a waste to a beneficial reuse is ecomaine’s ash metals mining project for the recovery of both ferrous metals and valuable non-ferrous material from screened ash. ecomaine strives to sustainably treat residual waste streams after enhanced resource recovery, re-use and recycling efforts and embrace an integrated waste management system. While challenges face many waste disposal operations such as changing regulations, ecomaine communities believe an integrated system with a good design and forward-looking plant management allow for a robust and effective service, as the ecomaine example shows.
Temperature dependent growth morphologies of parahexaphenyl on SiO2 supported exfoliated graphene
Authors: Kratzer Markus , Klima Stefan , Teichert Christian , Vasić Borislav , Matković Aleksandar , Ralević Uroš , Gajić Radoš
Published: July 2013

The growth of small conjugated molecules on graphene is of increasing interest, since the latter bears the potential to serve as a transparent electrode for organic solar cells and light emitting diodes. Here, parahexaphenyl thin films have been grown by hot wall epitaxy on SiO2 supported exfoliated graphene. The arising morphologies—studied by atomic force microscopy—exhibit a strong dependence on deposition temperature. At temperatures from 280 K–333 K, islands consisting of almost upright standing molecules and needles composed from lying molecules coexist on the graphene flake. Between 363 and 423 K solely needles—consisting of lying molecules—are present on the graphene. The needles form well-ordered networks with relative orientation angles of ∼30°, ∼60°, and ∼90° reflecting the symmetry of the graphene substrate.
Can We Afford More Health Care?
The Cost Disease
Why Computers Get Cheaper and Health Care Doesn't

by William J. Baumol; with contributions by David de Ferranti, Monte Malach, Ariel Pablos-Méndez, Hilary Tabish, and Lilian Gomory Wu

Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2012. 271 pp. $30, £20. ISBN 9780300179286.
Authors: Chandra Amitabh
Published: July 2013

Baumol and his contributors argue that despite the continuing rises in the relative cost of health care and other important civic activities, our societies can afford them.
Trans-HSF1 Express
Authors: Gandin Valentina , Topisirovic Ivan
Published: July 2013

Ribosome activity is linked to the activity of a transcription factor in cancer cells.

[Also see Research Article by

Santagata
et al.

]
Pathways for Conservation
Authors: Haig Susan M. , Martin Thomas E. , van Riper Charles , Beard T. Douglas
Published: July 2013

Next week, conservation scientists will gather at the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) in Baltimore, Maryland, to grapple with the challenges of preserving our natural world in the face of a growing and increasingly consumptive human population. The natural world provides countless services, such as clean water, protection from flooding, and carbon sequestration, while offering opportunities for new medicines, foods, and energy production. Yet these valuable services and opportunities are disappearing along with the species and natural areas that supply them. The needs of a growing human population must be met while conserving the planet's natural systems. Accomplishing both will depend on making clearer connections between scientific results regarding issues such as biodiversity loss and the critical decisions that must be made about conditions that underlie change, such as greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater availability. The good news is that today's conservation scientists are developing innovative tools and strategies.
Tampered Data Cast Shadow on Drug Trial
Authors: Normile Dennis
Published: July 2013

Data manipulation in a large clinical trial of a hypertension drug has raised concerns about cozy ties between researchers and drug companies and about impediments to investigating research misconduct in Japan.
Battle for the Americas
Authors: Stone Richard
Published: July 2013

The formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed the fauna of two continents to mingle, transforming biogeography. A radical new hypothesis holds that the land bridge formed millions of years earlier than scientists thought.
Salvage Paleontology on the Seaway
Authors: Stone Richard
Published: July 2013

Expansion of the Panama Canal has opened up sections of the seaway to salvage paleontology; fossil finds are bringing this cradle of biodiversity into sharper focus.
The Amazon in 4D
Authors: Wade Lizzie
Published: July 2013

An interdisciplinary team is linking data from field research in the Amazon into a comprehensive digital collection, aiming to map evolution in space and time.
Limitations of the BP26 Protein-Based Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Diagnosis of Brucellosis
Authors: Xin Ting , Yang Hongjun , Wang Nan , Wang Fang , Zhao Peng , Wang Haiguang , Mao Kairong , Zhu Hongfei , Ding Jiabo
Published: July 2013

Brucellosis is a serious zoonosis that occurs worldwide, and its diagnosis is typically based on the detection of antibodies against
Brucella
lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, the specificity of the LPS-based test is compromised by cross-reactivity with
Escherichia coli
O157:H7 and
Yersinia enterocolitica
O:9. Also, diagnosis based on the LPS test cannot differentiate between vaccinated and infected individuals. The detection of the 26-kDa cytosoluble protein (BP26) antibody is considered an alternative that circumvents these drawbacks because it is exclusively expressed by infectious
Brucella
. A BP26-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been tried for the diagnosis of
Brucella
-infected animals and humans, but a few results showed that BP26 couldn't react with all
Brucella
-positive sera. In order to explore whether different animals could produce antibodies against BP26 after being infected with various
Brucella
species, we infected sheep, goats, and beef cattle with common virulent reference
Brucella
species. All sera were collected from the experimental animals and tested using both LPS-based ELISAs and BP26-based ELISAs. The results showed that all
Brucella
-infected individuals could produce high levels of antibodies against LPS, but only
B. melitensis
16M- and
B. melitensis
M28-infected sheep and
B. melitensis
16M- and
B. abortus
2308-infected goats could produce antibodies against BP26. Therefore, we concluded that the BP26-based indirect ELISA (i-ELISA) showed both
Brucella
species and host specificity, which obviously limits its reliability as a substitute for the traditional LPS-based ELISA for the detection of brucellosis.
Comparison of the Xpert MTB/RIF and Cobas TaqMan MTB Assays for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Respiratory Specimens
Authors: Park Kyung Sun , Kim Ji-Youn , Lee Jung Wha , Hwang Yu-Yean , Jeon Kyeongman , Koh Won-Jung , Ki Chang-Seok , Lee Nam Yong
Published: July 2013

The Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) is a fully automated, cartridge-based real-time PCR assay designed to detect
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
and rifampin resistance within 2 h. The performance of the Xpert assay has been evaluated in various clinical settings. However, there are few data comparing the Xpert assay to the Cobas TaqMan MTB test (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland), one of the most widely utilized molecular assays for
M. tuberculosis
detection. In this prospective study, 320 consecutive respiratory specimens were processed simultaneously using acid-fast bacillus (AFB) staining, mycobacterial cultures with both solid and liquid media, and the Cobas and Xpert assays. The Xpert assay was performed with direct respiratory specimens, while the Cobas assay was done with decontaminated concentrated specimens. Based on the culture as a reference method, the overall sensitivities of the Cobas and Xpert assays were 71.4% and 67.9%, respectively. When AFB smear results were taken into consideration, the sensitivities of the Cobas assay for smear-positive and -negative specimens were 87% and 54%, while those of the Xpert assay were 67% and 69%, respectively. The Cobas assay showed 100% specificity and 100% positive predictive value (PPV) regardless of smear results, while the Xpert assay showed 100% specificity and 100% PPV for smear-positive specimens but 98% specificity and 60% PPV for smear-negative specimens. In conclusion, the Xpert assay showed performance that was slightly inferior to that of the Cobas assay but seems useful for the rapid detection of
M. tuberculosis
, considering that it was performed without laborious and time-consuming decontamination and concentration procedures.
Evaluation of the BD Bactec MGIT 320 System for Detection of Mycobacteria and Drug Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Duque Abigail , Lin S.-Y. Grace , Desmond Edward , Rienthong Somsak , Rienthong Dhanida , Boonin Chanattree
Published: July 2013

Two different laboratories evaluated growth and detection of mycobacteria and drug susceptibility testing of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
by the BD Bactec MGIT 320 using the BD Bactec MGIT 960 (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD) as a reference method. Out of 359 processed sputum specimens for detection of mycobacteria, 99.7% were in agreement between the MGIT 320 and MGIT 960. Streptomycin (STR), isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), ethambutol (EMB) (collectively known as SIRE), and pyrazinamide (PZA) drug susceptibility testing was performed on 89 clinical strains, prepared from both liquid and solid inocula. The results of SIRE and PZA were 100% reproducible between the two instruments tested at both laboratories.
Parametrial Anisakidosis
Authors: Ramanan Poornima , Blumberg Andrea K. , Mathison Blaine , Pritt Bobbi S.
Published: July 2013

Anisakidosis is a parasitic infection caused by anisakid nematodes in the genera
Anisakis
and
Pseudoterranova
. Infection is not uncommon in the United States due to increased raw seafood consumption. We report the first known case of parametrial anisakidosis in a 42-year-old woman and review existing literature.
An Inactivated Cell Culture Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine (JE-ADVAX) Formulated with Delta Inulin Adjuvant Provides Robust Heterologous Protection against West Nile Encephalitis via Cross-Protective Memory B Cells and Neutralizing Antibody
Authors: Petrovsky Nikolai , Larena Maximilian , Siddharthan Venkatraman , Prow Natalie A. , Hall Roy A. , Lobigs Mario , Morrey John
Published: July 2013

West Nile virus (WNV), currently the cause of a serious U.S. epidemic, is a mosquito-borne flavivirus and member of the Japanese encephalitis (JE) serocomplex. There is currently no approved human WNV vaccine, and treatment options remain limited, resulting in significant mortality and morbidity from human infection. Given the availability of approved human JE vaccines, this study asked whether the JE-ADVAX vaccine, which contains an inactivated cell culture JE virus antigen formulated with Advax delta inulin adjuvant, could provide heterologous protection against WNV infection in wild-type and β2-microglobulin-deficient (β2m−/−) murine models. Mice immunized twice or even once with JE-ADVAX were protected against lethal WNV challenge even when mice had low or absent serum cross-neutralizing WNV titers prior to challenge. Similarly, β2m−/−mice immunized with JE-ADVAX were protected against lethal WNV challenge in the absence of CD8+T cells and prechallenge WNV antibody titers. Protection against WNV could be adoptively transferred to naive mice by memory B cells from JE-ADVAX-immunized animals. Hence, in addition to increasing serum cross-neutralizing antibody titers, JE-ADVAX induced a memory B-cell population able to provide heterologous protection against WNV challenge. Heterologous protection was reduced when JE vaccine antigen was administered alone without Advax, confirming the importance of the adjuvant to induction of cross-protective immunity. In the absence of an approved human WNV vaccine, JE-ADVAX could provide an alternative approach for control of a major human WNV epidemic.
HLA-Specific Intracellular Epitope Processing Shapes an Immunodominance Pattern for HLA-B*57 That Is Distinct from HLA-B*58:01
Authors: Kløverpris Henrik N. , Stryhn Anette , Harndahl Mikkel , Payne Rebecca , Towers Greg J. , Chen Fabian , Riddell Lynn , Walker Bruce D. , Ndung'u Thumbi , Leslie Alasdair , Buus Søren , Goulder Philip
Published: July 2013

HLA-B*57 is strongly associated with immune control of HIV and delayed AIDS progression. The closely related, but less protective, HLA-B*58:01 presents similar epitopes, but HLA-B*58:01
+
individuals do not generate CD8
+
T cells targeting the KF11-Gag epitope, which has been linked to low viremia. Here we show that HLA-B*58:01 binds and presents KF11 peptide, but HIV-infected HLA-B*58:01
+
cells fail to process KF11. This unexpected finding demonstrates that immunodominance patterns can be influenced by intracellular events independent of HLA binding motifs.
Pressure from TRIM5α Contributes to Control of HIV-1 Replication by Individuals Expressing Protective HLA-B Alleles
Authors: Granier Clémence , Battivelli Emilie , Lécuroux Camille , Venet Alain , Lambotte Olivier , Schmitt-Boulanger Marion , Delaugerre Constance , Molina Jean-Michel , Chakrabarti Lisa A. , Clavel François , Hance Allan J.
Published: July 2013

The expression of certain HLA class I alleles, including HLA-B*27 and HLA-B*57, is associated with better control of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, but the mechanisms responsible are not fully understood. We sought evidence that pressure from the human restriction factor TRIM5α (hTRIM5α) could contribute to viral control. The hTRIM5α sensitivity of viruses from both HLA-B*57-positive (HLA-B*57
+
) and HLA-B*27
+
patients who spontaneously controlled viral replication, but not viruses from viremic patients expressing these alleles, was significantly greater than that of viruses from patients not expressing these protective HLA-B alleles. Overall, a significant negative correlation between hTRIM5α sensitivity and viral load was observed. In HLA-B*57
+
patients, the T242N mutation in the HLA-B*57-restricted TW10 CD8
+
T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope was strongly associated with hTRIM5α sensitivity. In HLA-B*27
+
controllers, hTRIM5α sensitivity was associated with a significant reduction in emergence of key CTL mutations. In several patients, viral evolution to avoid hTRIM5α sensitivity was observed but could be associated with reduced viral replicative capacity. Thus, in individuals expressing protective HLA-B alleles, the combined pressures exerted by CTL, hTRIM5α, and capsid structural constraints can prevent viral escape both by impeding the selection of necessary resistance/compensatory mutations and forcing the selection of escape mutations that increase hTRIM5α sensitivity or impair viral replicative capacity.
Oncolytic Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in an Immunocompetent Model of MUC1-Positive or MUC1-Null Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Hastie Eric , Besmer Dahlia M. , Shah Nirav R. , Murphy Andrea M. , Moerdyk-Schauwecker Megan , Molestina Carlos , Roy Lopamudra Das , Curry Jennifer M. , Mukherjee Pinku , Grdzelishvili Valery Z.
Published: July 2013

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a promising oncolytic agent against various malignancies. Here, for the first time, we tested VSV
in vitro
and
in vivo
in a clinically relevant, immunocompetent mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Our system allows the study of virotherapy against PDA in the context of overexpression (80% of PDA patients) or no expression of human mucin 1 (MUC1), a major marker for poor prognosis in patients.
In vitro
, we tested three VSV recombinants, wild-type VSV, VSV-green fluorescent protein (VSV-GFP), and a safe oncolytic VSV-ΔM51-GFP, against five mouse PDA cell lines that either expressed human MUC1 or were MUC1 null. All viruses demonstrated significant oncolytic abilities independent of MUC1 expression, although VSV-ΔM51-GFP was somewhat less effective in two PDA cell lines.
In vivo
administration of VSV-ΔM51-GFP resulted in significant reduction of tumor growth for tested mouse PDA xenografts (+MUC1 or MUC1 null), and antitumor efficacy was further improved when the virus was combined with the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine. The antitumor effect was transient in all tested groups. The developed system can be used to study therapies involving various oncolytic viruses and chemotherapeutics, with the goal of inducing tumor-specific immunity while preventing premature virus clearance.