•Aspen Plus® was used to simulate the gasification process in a BFB reactor.•Two kinetic models have been developed based on two literature kinetic models.•A large number of experimental data were ...used for the calibration and validation.•These models have also considered and evaluated the tar formation.•The model developed in Aspen Plus® give accurate predictions of experimental data.
The direct (with air) gasification process of biomass in bubbling fluidized bed reactor was simulated using Aspen Plus®. The reactor was divided in three parts: the pyrolysis zone, combustion zone and reduction zone. The pyrolysis process simulation was supported by an external MS-Excel® subroutine to define the yield and composition of the main components, namely, char, gas and tar. Whereas the combustion and reduction processes were simulated using a kinetic model. These models were calibrated and thereafter validated with a set of distinct results from gasification of four different types of biomass using a pilot-scale bubbling fluidized bed reactor, with different equivalence ratio (from 0.17 to 0.35) and temperature (from 709 °C to 859 °C). The results obtained from the simulation, namely the concentration of CO, CO2, H2, CH4, C2H4 in the producer gas, were in good agreement with the experimental ones for a set of biomass types and operating conditions. Amongst the gases analysed, H2 gas was predicted with the lowest accuracy, always being overestimated; despite that, the highest absolute error obtained for H2 was only 4.4%. Finally, the tar concentration predicted was between 20 and 42 g/Nm3 and it decreased with the increase of equivalence ratio, temperature and biomass particle size.
The "orgasm gap" for women who have sex with men remains a pressing gender equity issue. Recent research found that women who pursued orgasm as a goal were more likely to have one. The current ...research replicated this relationship between orgasm goal pursuit and orgasm frequency for heterosexual women, and found that this relationship did not exist for heterosexual men (Study 1). Then, across two experimental studies, we examined how heterosexual women vary their orgasm goal pursuit across sexual encounters. In Study 2, women who read that a hypothetical sexual encounter would be "quick" reported less intent to pursue orgasm than women who were told they could "take their time" or received no time information. In Study 3, women who read that their hypothetical sexual partner seemed selfish reported less intent to pursue orgasm than women who were given a non-selfish partner or no partner information. Importantly, these effects were mediated by women's perceived orgasm likelihood in the scenario. These results suggest that women shift their pursuit of orgasm depending on cues which signal whether orgasm will be feasible. This research used self-regulation theory to understand women's motivations for pursuing orgasm during sexual encounters with men, with implications for reducing the orgasm gap.
It is unclear whether the association between osteoarthritis (OA) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) varies with the site of the affected joint and the presence of pain. Our aim was to describe the ...association between MetS and radiographic OA (ROA) affecting the knee or the hand in the presence or absence of concurrent joint pain.
Cross-sectional data of 952 women, aged 45–65years from the Chingford study, a population-based longitudinal cohort of middle-aged women initiated in 1988–1989 in London (UK), was analysed. MetS was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Treatment Panel III criteria. Data was collected on components of MetS: waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), blood pressure and blood glucose. The outcome was four knee and hand OA groups: painful ROA, ROA only, pain only and neither ROA nor pain (reference category). Multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI) were used to evaluate the effect of presence of MetS and its individual components on OA subgroups for knee and hand separately.
952 eligible women, aged 45–65years was analysed. A significant association was observed between the presence and the number of MetS with painful knee ROA when adjusted for age; however, this association disappeared when BMI was included in the model. In contrast, the presence and the number of MetS were associated with painful interphalangeal (IPJ) OA after adjusting for both age and BMI. Four out of the five MetS components, including triglycerides, HDL-c, hypertension and glucose, were associated with painful IPJ OA.
MetS is associated with painful IPJ OA but not with knee OA once BMI is taking into consideration. Further attention to MetS and OA at different sites is needed to understand the metabolic phenotype in OA.
Dusty star-forming galaxies at high redshift (1 < z < 3) represent the most intense star-forming regions in the universe. Key aspects to these processes are the gas heating and cooling mechanisms, ...and although it is well known that these galaxies are gas-rich, little is known about the gas excitation conditions. Only a few detailed radiative transfer studies have been carried out owing to a lack of multiple line detections per galaxy. Here we examine these processes in a sample of 24 strongly lensed star-forming galaxies identified by the Planck satellite (LPs) at z ∼ 1.1-3.5. We analyze 162 CO rotational transitions (ranging from Jup = 1 to 12) and 37 atomic carbon fine-structure lines (C i) in order to characterize the physical conditions of the gas in the sample of LPs. We simultaneously fit the CO and C i lines and the dust continuum emission, using two different non-LTE, radiative transfer models. The first model represents a two-component gas density, while the second assumes a turbulence-driven lognormal gas density distribution. These LPs are among the most gas-rich, IR-luminous galaxies ever observed ( L L IR ( 8 − 1000 m ) ∼ 10 13 − 14.6 L ; 〈 LMISM 〉 = (2.7 1.2) × 1012 M , with L ∼ 10-30 the average lens magnification factor). Our results suggest that the turbulent interstellar medium present in the LPs can be well characterized by a high turbulent velocity dispersion ( 〈 ΔVturb 〉 ∼ 100 km s−1) and ratios of gas kinetic temperature to dust temperature 〈 Tkin/Td 〉 ∼ 2.5, sustained on scales larger than a few kiloparsecs. We speculate that the average surface density of the molecular gas mass and IR luminosity, M ISM ∼ 103-4 M pc−2 and L IR ∼ 1011-12 L kpc−2, arise from both stellar mechanical feedback and a steady momentum injection from the accretion of intergalactic gas.
While previous research has established the existence of an orgasm gap between men and women, research exploring this phenomenon within dyadic samples of mixed-sex couples has been limited. The ...current study aims to investigate the impact of this orgasm disparity on novel sexual outcomes for couples, including desire and expectation for orgasm. We conducted secondary data analyses on a sample of 104 sexually active mixed-sex couples using an online Qualtrics panel (
M
age
= 43.9 years; 94.2% heterosexual; 79.3% White). Cisgender men and women within the couple reported on their sexual satisfaction, orgasm frequency, desired orgasm frequency, expectation for how often people should orgasm (“orgasm expectation”), and perceptions of their partner’s orgasm frequency. An orgasm gap emerged, and men significantly underreported the size of the orgasm gap in their relationships. In a dyadic path model, men’s and women’s own orgasm frequency positively predicted their desire and expectation for orgasm. Additionally, women’s orgasm frequency predicted men’s orgasm expectation. This relationship between orgasm frequencies and expectancies may partially explain women’s lower orgasm importance compared to men. A cycle of orgasm inequality within relationships may be perpetuated when women who experience less frequent orgasms lower their desire and expectation for orgasm. Sex educators, activists, and therapists should work to improve entitlement to sexual pleasure and orgasm, particularly for women who wish to increase their orgasm frequency.
The development of hand osteoarthritis (HOA) could be linked to hyperlipidaemia. No longitudinal studies have addressed the relationship between serum lipid profile and HOA. The study aim was to ...determine the association between serum lipid profile and the incidence of radiographic hand osteoarthritis (RHOA). All women in a prospective population-based cohort from the Chingford study with available baseline lipid measurements and without RHOA on a baseline were included. Study outcome was the incidence of RHOA in year 11 of follow-up. Serum lipid profile variables were analysed as continuous variables and categorised into quartiles. The association between serum lipid profile and RHOA was modeled using multivariable logistic regression. Overall RHOA incidence was 51.6% (45.7-57.4%). An inverse association between HDL cholesterol levels and the incidence of RHOA was observed by quartile: OR of 0.36 95%CI 0.17-0.75, 0.52 95%CI 0.26-1.06, and 0.48 95%CI 0.22-1.03. Triglycerides levels showed a significant trend. No relationship was found with total or LDL cholesterol. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol appear to protect against RHOA after 11 years of follow-up. More research is needed to elucidate HOA risk factors, the mechanisms related to the lipid pathway, and the effects of lipid-lowering agents on reducing the incidence of OA.
The use of nanoparticulate zinc oxide (ZnO-NP) in sunscreens and other cosmetic products has raised public health concerns. The two key issues are the extent of exposure to ZnO-NP and the likely ...hazard after the application of ZnO-NP in sunscreen and cosmetic products to humans in vivo. Our aims were to assess exposure by the extent of ZnO-NP penetration into the viable epidermis and hazard by changes in the viable epidermal redox state for a number of topical products. Of particular interest is the role of the particle coating, formulation used, and the presence of any enhancers. Multiphoton tomography with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (MPT–FLIM) was used to simultaneously observe ZnO-NP penetration and potential metabolic changes within the viable epidermis of human volunteers after topical application of various ZnO-NP products. Coated and uncoated ZnO-NP remained in the superficial layers of the SC and in the skin furrows. We observed limited penetration of coated ZnO-NP dispersed in a water-in-oil emulsion formulation, which was predominantly localized adjacent to the skin furrow. However, the presence of ZnO-NP in the viable epidermis did not alter the metabolic state or morphology of the cells. In summary, our data suggest that some limited penetration of coated and uncoated ZnO-NP may occur into viable stratum granulosum epidermis adjacent to furrows, but that the extent is not sufficient to affect the redox state of those viable cells.
Summary
A methodology for the calculation of gradients with respect to design parameters in general fluid‐structure interaction problems is presented. It is based on fixed‐point iterations on the ...adjoint variables of the coupled system using algorithmic differentiation. This removes the need for the construction of the analytic Jacobian for the coupled physical problem, which is the usual limitation for the computation of adjoints in most realistic applications. The formulation is shown to be amenable to partitioned solution methods for the adjoint equations. It also poses no restrictions to the nonlinear physics in either the fluid or structural field, other than the existence of a converged solution to the primal problem from which to compute the adjoints. We demonstrate the applicability of this procedure and the accuracy of the computed gradients on coupled problems involving viscous flows with geometrical and material nonlinearities in the structural domain.
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