BACKGROUND Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pervasive chemical stimulus that plays a critical role in insect life, eliciting behavioral and physiological responses across different species. High CO2 concentration is a major feature of termite nests, which may be used as a cue for locating their nests. Termites also survive under an elevated CO2 concentration. However, the mechanism by which elevated C...

This paper presents results from stability analysis and testing on high pressure CO2 centrifugal compressors, beginning by a preliminary analysis conducted on an academic institution. It includes results of stability tests that were carried out in manufacturer facilities. The tests were done on two different compressor designs, both operating with high content of CO2 in super critical condition...

The revolutionary rise of broad-leaved (flowering) angiosperm plant species during the Cretaceous initiated a global ecological transformation towards modern biodiversity. Still, the mechanisms involved in this angiosperm radiation remain enigmatic. Here we show that the period of rapid angiosperm evolution initiated after the leaf interior (post venous) transport path length for water was redu...

Measurement and modelling of regional or country-level carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes are becoming critical for verification of the greenhouse gases emission control. One of the commonly adopted approaches is inverse modelling, where CO2 fluxes (emission: positive flux, sink: negative flux) from the terrestrial ecosystems are estimated by combining atmospheric CO2 measurements with atmospheric tra...

We review briefly how the thinking about the permeation of gases, especially CO2, across cell and artificial lipid membranes has evolved during the last 100 years. We then describe how the recent finding of a drastic effect of cholesterol on CO2 permeability of both biological and artificial membranes fundamentally alters the long-standing idea that CO2-as well as other gases-permeates all memb...

A literature survey was performed to evaluate the state-of-the-art membrane systems for CO2/CH4 separation which is critical in the natural gas industry. The systems that were reviewed included zeolite, carbon, polymeric, mixed matrix, amorphous silica, and supported ionic liquid membranes. Supported ionic liquid CO2/CH4 selective membranes were synthesized in our laboratory by applying room te...

Background Increasing attention is being focused on the influence of rapid increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration on nutrient cycling in ecosystems. An understanding of how elevated CO2 affects plant utilization and acquisition of phosphorus (P) will be critical for P management to maintain ecosystem sustainability in P-deficient regions. Scope This review focuses on the impact of elevated ...

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute lung injury and critical care illness may develop hypercapnia. Many of these patients often have muscle dysfunction which increases morbidity and impairs their quality of life. Here, we investigated whether hypercapnia leads to skeletal muscle atrophy. Mice exposed to high CO2 had decreased skeletal muscle wet weight, fiber diame...

Carbon dioxide (CO2)-emission dynamics are critical to inter-governmental climate negotiations. Previous studies have noted a gradual equalization of per capita CO2 emissions across developed countries; that is, CO2 emissions converge across developed countries. However, they have ignored the effects of spatio-temporal dynamics on such convergence. In this paper, we address this gap in understa...

This paper presents knowledge engineering work for building a knowledge-based system (KBS) for the amine-based CO2 capture process system at International Test Center for CO2 capture (ITC) located in Regina, Saskatchewan of Canada. The knowledge acquisition process was conducted for building knowledge base for the CO2 capture process system. The knowledge base includes static and dynamic knowle...