Development of a spatially uniform low-temperature hydrogen combustor

Examples of the use of additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping in a range of applications are of great interest in order to emphasize their role in development and production technology. In this study, a catalytic low temperature burner for H₂ on a lab scale with an integrated flow distributor was designed, manufactured, and tested for functionality. Based on a theoretical approach, a flow distributor for the burner was designed and a prototype was built using fused deposition modeling (FDM). Based on test results, an optimized version of the burner was then designed and manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM). The functionality of the designed catalytic burner was proven. Several advantages were found in comparison to conventional non-catalytic burners. In particular, flameless uniform low temperature heat generation with temperatures of about 200 °C could be realized. This contribution highlights the potential of additive manufacturing in chemical engineering. Not only was the final product built using SLM, but also during the development process, FDM was used for rapid prototyping.     

State-Dependent Memory in Infants

Why do infants remember some things and not others? Human infants frequently cycle through different states such as calm attentiveness, wakeful activity, and crying. Given that cognitive processes do not occur in isolation, such fluctuations in internal state might influence memory processing. In the present experiment, declarative memory in 9-month-old infants (N = 96) was heavily state dependent. Infants exhibited excellent retention of a deferred imitation task after a 15-min delay if their state at encoding was identical to their state at retrieval (e.g., calm). Infants failed to exhibit retention if their state at encoding was different from their state at retrieval (e.g., calm vs. animated). Infant memory processing depends on internal cues.     

Recouping and rethinking the effects of summer vacation on reading achievement

Vacations may have detrimental effects on maths and spelling performance, but the findings for reading are less conclusive. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of summer vacation on early literacy skills of young children. Participants included rising first and second‐graders, most of whom were at‐risk, struggling readers. No evidence of summer setback was evident for this sample of children; in fact, gains in reading (or, recoupment of any losses) were more common in children performing at lower levels than for those with higher scores at the end of the school year. Our outcomes are different from those reported by other researchers. We explain this with attention to the content of our comparisons, the grade levels investigated and measures used to assess performance, and discuss implications for future research based on our findings.