Insight into the Impact of Oxidative Stress on the Barrier Properties of Lipid Bilayer Models

As a new field of oxidative stress-based therapy, cold physical plasma is a promising tool for several biomedical applications due to its potential to create a broad diversity of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Although proposed, the impact of plasma-derived RONS on the cell membrane lipids and properties is not fully understood. For this purpose, the changes in the lipid bilayer functionality under oxidative stress generated by an argon plasma jet (kINPen) were investigated by electrochemical techniques. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the plasma-induced modifications on the model lipids. Various asymmetric bilayers mimicking the structure and properties of the erythrocyte cell membrane were transferred onto a gold electrode surface by Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer deposition techniques. A strong impact of cholesterol on membrane permeabilization by plasma-derived species was revealed. Moreover, the maintenance of the barrier properties is influenced by the chemical composition of the head group. Mainly the head group size and its hydrogen bonding capacities are relevant, and phosphatidylcholines are significantly more susceptible than phosphatidylserines and other lipid classes, underlining the high relevance of this lipid class in membrane dynamics and cell physiology.     

Modeling metallurgical responses of coal Tri-Flo separators by a novel BNN:a "Conscious-Lab" development

Tri-flo cyclone,as a dense-medium separation device,is one of the most typical environmentally friendly industrial techniques in the coal washery plants.Surpris...     

Introducing a novel integrated NGL recovery process configuration (with a self-refrigeration system (open–closed cycle)) with minimum energy requirement

In this study a novel process configuration for recovery of hydrocarbon liquids from natural gas is proposed. The required refrigeration in this configuration is obtained by a self-refrigeration system (open–closed cycle). High performance of the multi-stream heat exchangers, high recovery levels of the hydrocarbon liquids and low required compression power (in the internal refrigeration section) are three of most important characteristic of the proposed configuration. The effects of the mixed self-refrigerant flow rate and pressure on the performance of the process are discussed. Various values for feed composition are tested and the results show that the process can work efficiently with different feeds. In order to analyze the need of external refrigeration by a close or open cycle that is related to the composition of the inlet gas, a configuration with external refrigeration is designed the manner that it is similar with the purposed configuration in the separation section.     

Simultaneous biodesulphurization and denitrification using an oil reservoir microbial culture: Effects of sulphide loading rate and sulphide to nitrate loading ratio

Biooxidation of sulphide under denitrifying conditions is a key process in control of souring in oil reservoirs and in treatment of gas and liquids contaminated with sulphide and nitrate. In this work, biooxidation of sulphide was studied using a representative culture originated from an oil reservoir. Effects of sulphide concentration, sulphide to nitrate molar ratio, and loading rates of sulphide and nitrate on their removal rates and composition of the end products were investigated. In the batch system sulphide removal rate passed through a maximum as sulphide concentration was increased from 2.1 to 16.3 mM, with the highest rate (2.06 mM h⁻¹) observed with 10.7 mM sulphide. Nitrate removal was coupled to sulphide oxidation and the highest removal rate was 1.05 mM h⁻¹. In the continuous bioreactors fed with 10 and 5, 15 and 7.5, and 20 and 10 mM sulphide and nitrate, cell wash-out occurred as dilution rate was increased above 0.15, 0.13 and 0.08 h⁻¹, respectively. Prior to cell wash-out linear increases in sulphide and nitrate removal rates were observed as loading rate was increased. The highest sulphide and nitrate removal rates of 2.0 and 0.92 mM h⁻¹ were obtained in the bioreactor fed with 15 mM sulphide and 7.5 mM nitrate at loading rates of 2.1 and 0.93 mM h⁻¹, respectively. Short residence times and high sulphide to nitrate ratios promoted the formation of sulphur, a desired end product for ex situ treatment of contaminated streams. Combination of long residence times and low sulphide to nitrate ratios, which favours formation of sulphate, is the suitable strategy for in situ removal of H₂S from oil reservoirs.     

Physical modeling of behaviors of cast-in-place concrete piled raft compared to free-standing pile group in sand

Similar to free-standing pile groups, piled raft foundations are conventionally designed in which the piles carry the total load of structure and the raft bearing capacity is not taken into account. Numerous studies indicated that this method is too conservative. Only when the pile cap is elevated from the ground level, the raft bearing contribution can be neglected. In a piled raft foundation, pile–soil–raft interaction is complicated. Although several numerical studies have been carried out to analyze the behaviors of piled raft foundations, very few experimental studies are reported in the literature. The available laboratory studies mainly focused on steel piles. The present study aims to compare the behaviors of piled raft foundations with free-standing pile groups in sand, using laboratory physical models. Cast-in-place concrete piles and concrete raft are used for the tests. The tests are conducted on single pile, single pile in pile group, unpiled raft, free-standing pile group and piled raft foundation. We examine the effects of the number of piles, the pile installation method and the interaction between different components of foundation. The results indicate that the ultimate bearing capacity of the piled raft foundation is considerably higher than that of the free-standing pile group with the same number of piles. With installation of the single pile in the group, the pile bearing capacity and stiffness increase. Installation of the piles beneath the raft decreases the bearing capacity of the raft. When the raft bearing capacity is not included in the design process, the allowable bearing capacity of the piled raft is underestimated by more than 200%. This deviation intensifies with increasing spacing of the piles.     

Modeling managerial behavior in real options valuation for project-based environments

Project valuation, as a decision-making tool for initiating investments in projects, should be able to value project flexibilities and incorporate reasonable risk preferences of relevant decision makers. Real options valuation methods are the available approaches for valuing project flexibilities, whereas they have shortcomings in considering managers’ reasonable risk preferences in project decisions. Therefore, researchers have suggested approximating the perspective on risk of real options methods and practitioners in project management. This study proposes a fair real options valuation for project-based environments by a behavioral economic approach, which adopts binomial lattice method, Monte-Carlo simulation, and cumulative prospect theory. The results show that behavioral factors such as ‘risk attitude’ and ‘loss aversion’ should be accepted in project investment decisions while limited to an acceptable amount depending on the project conditions (e.g. uniqueness of decision-making scenarios). This research contributes to the project management domain by enhancing project investment decisions that include project flexibilities.     

Proposed Relationship for Proper Shear Strength of Elliptical Damper Based on Its Geometrical Parameters

Vertical link beam as a practical yielding damper is a kind of passive control device which dissipates seismic energy and thus reduces the rate of damage to structures through in-plane shear deformations. Proper stiffness, ductility and significant energy dissipation of these dampers together with their practical advantages justify their widespread experimental and numerical research. In this paper, a total of 42 elliptical dampers (vertical link beams with elliptical cross sections) in various lengths and thicknesses are modeled using the ABAQUS finite element software and finally a design relationship for this damper is presented based on the above mentioned geometrical parameters using pushover analysis. The accuracy of the proposed relationship is studied by applying various layouts of designed dampers on two types of chevron bracings to improve their performance and obtain proper energy dissipation without brace buckling. The equivalent viscous damping ratios of 32–33% obtained for elliptical dampers indicate high increase in energy dissipation capability.