Fast pyrolysis of red oak wood yields approximately 10-30 wt% biochar, considered a low value co-product. Production of high value activated carbon using steam was investigated at different activation conditions. The relationship between activation parameters, surface area, and revenue was evaluated using response surface methodology. A second-degree model showed a maximum economic benefit at 800°C with 5 minutes of steam activation, yielding $907 of net revenue per metric ton of biochar. Innovation Fast pyrolysis, a thermochemical process that yields bio-oil as its primary product, is developing rapidly as a mean of producing advanced biofuels and other bio-based products. Coproducts include non-condensable gases and a carbon-rich solid residue known as char (or biochar when incorporated into the soil). Biochar, representing 10-30 wt% of the products, is currently a relatively low value agricultural soil amendment with an estimated wholesale value around $100 per ton 10. Thus, it is priced no higher than its precursor biomass. Developing additional, value-added applications for the biochar produced during fast pyrolysis would enhance the overall economic viability of fast pyrolysis technologies. One approach to developing such biochar products is upgrading the biochar to high value activated carbon (AC) with high surface area and porosity. Highlights  Fermentation of pyrolytic sugars into ethanol significantly improves the IRR of the fast pyrolysis biorefinery.  Activated carbon improves the overall economic feasibility by producing a high value product from the biochar stream.  The biorefinery requires $414 million in investment, primarily driven by the cost of hydroprocessing and combustion equipment.  The expected IRR of this biorefinery is 16% being the biomass cost and fixed capital investment the factors with higher impact on profitability.

In the multinucleate cells induced in Allium cepa L. meristems, the nuclei surrounded by the largest cytoplasm environment complete replication earlier (advanced nuclei), but have a longer G2, than the others (delayed nuclei). Thus, all nuclei break down the nuclear envelope and start metaphase simultaneously. The present report shows that this synchronization relies on a checkpoint mechanism. When completion of replication was prevented in the delayed nuclei (due to in vivo 5-aminouracil feeding initiated when the advanced nuclei were already in G2), the metaphase was also further delayed in the advanced ones. In turn, some of the delayed nuclei overrode the G2 checkpoint (adaptation) and entered into mitosis with broken chromatids (Del Campo et al., 1997). Anoxic UVA (313 nm) irradiation apparently prevents the binding of regulatory proteins to Br-DNA. The present report shows that late replicating sequences are the targets of the checkpoint signal produced by the still replicating nuclei. This signal delays metaphase in the advanced nuclei, whose DNA is already fully replicated. Thus, when the already replicated sequences of late replicating DNA was modified in the advanced nuclei by bromosubstitution followed by anoxic UVA irradiation, they entered into mitosis without any delay, ignoring the inhibitory signals produced by the still replicating nuclei.

A ntonio M artín d el Cam po D o n a ld R. W inkler* The purpose of this study Is to analyse the major charac teristics and consequences of State-owned enterprise (SOB) reforms in Latin America so as to derive conclu sions useful for guiding future reform programmes. Three countries at different stages of the reform process were identified for in-depth study: Chile, Mexico and Argentina. The underlying rationale for s o e reforms in Latin America has been both economic and political. In most countries the need to reduce the public sector deficit was a primary motive for initiating reforms. In Chile, Mexico and Argentina public sector deficits hit historic highs in the year prior to the initiation of reforms. Chile initiated the first major reform of s o b s in the region in 1974. A decade later, in 1983, Mexico began its reforms and has now embarked on a very large-scale reform pro gramme. Argentina first initiated reforms in 1976, and in 1989 it announced comprehensive reforms that are now being implemented. Section I sets the scene for analysing s o e reform by describing the historical evolution and importance of the SOB sector in these three countries. Section II analyses the content and impact of s o b reforms by focusing on five areas: i) s o b sector strategy and policy, Ü) supervisory and managerial framework, lii) economic policy environ ment, iv) restructuring and rehabilitation of individual s o b s , and v) modifications in ownership scheme. Section III analyses the impact of reforms on the financial and economic performance of s o b s and on the budget of the non-financial public sector and the macroeconomy. ♦Staff members o f the Public Sector Management Division o f the W orld Bank.

Mitochondrial gene expression in African trypanosomes and other trypanosomatid pathogens requires a U-nucleotide specific insertion/deletion-type RNA-editing reaction. The process is catalyzed by a macromolecular protein complex known as the editosome. Editosomes are restricted to the trypanosomatid clade and since editing is essential for the parasites, the protein complex represents a near perfect target for drug intervention strategies. Here we report the development of an improved in vitro assay to monitor editosome function. The test system utilizes fluorophore-labeled substrate RNAs to analyze the processing reaction by automated, high-throughput capillary electrophoresis (CE) in combination with a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) readout. We optimized the assay for high-throughput screening (HTS)-experiments and devised a multiplex fluorophore-labeling regime to scrutinize the U-insertion/U-deletion reaction simultaneously. The assay is robust, it requires only nanogram amounts of materials and it meets all performance criteria for HTS-methods. As such the test system should be helpful in the search for trypanosome-specific pharmaceuticals.