Permeability of carbon refractory materials used in a blast furnace hearth

Permeability of experimental and standard micropore carbon materials, before and after the heat treatment at 1550 °C, was investigated using gas permeability measurements (GP) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Permeability of both materials increased after the annealing. Experimental micropore carbon material was less permeable than standard one, both before and after the heat treatment. Measured gas permeabilities were compared with permeabilities determined based on MIP measurements using two different models: Hagen?Poiseuille and Carman?Kozeny equation. Using the inverse problem approach, for the first time Carman?Kozeny constant was determined for micropore carbon materials. Carman?Kozeny model gave more accurate results (i.e. close to gas permeability measurements) than Hagen?Poiseuille model. Performed investigations showed that mercury intrusion porosimetry might be alternative method to investigate infiltration resistance of low permeable materials.     

Therapeutic Potential of Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) in Hemolytic and Hemorrhagic Vascular Disorders—Interaction between the Heme Oxygenase and H2S-Producing Systems

Over the past decades, substantial work has established that hemoglobin oxidation and heme release play a pivotal role in hemolytic/hemorrhagic disorders. Recent reports have shown that oxidized hemoglobins, globin-derived peptides, and heme trigger diverse biological responses, such as toll-like receptor 4 activation with inflammatory response, reprogramming of cellular metabolism, differentiation, stress, and even death. Here, we discuss these cellular responses with particular focus on their mechanisms that are linked to the pathological consequences of hemorrhage and hemolysis. In recent years, endogenous gasotransmitters, such as carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), have gained a lot of interest in connection with various human pathologies. Thus, many CO and H₂S-releasing molecules have been developed and applied in various human disorders, including hemolytic and hemorrhagic diseases. Here, we discuss our current understanding of oxidized hemoglobin and heme-induced cell and tissue damage with particular focus on inflammation, cellular metabolism and differentiation, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in hemolytic/hemorrhagic human diseases, and the potential beneficial role of CO and H₂S in these pathologies. More detailed mechanistic insights into the complex pathology of hemolytic/hemorrhagic diseases through heme oxygenase-1/CO as well as H₂S pathways would reveal new therapeutic approaches that can be exploited for clinical benefit.     

Ermittlung der Nahrungsaufnahme von Wildwiederk?uern durch Beobachtung zahmer Artgenossen

Zusammenfassung Für eine wirksame Verbesserung des Wildlebensraumes ist es notwendig, die Nahrungsaufnahme des Wildes zu kennen. Beschrieben wird eine Methode, die beim Weißwedelhirsch (Odocoileus hemionus) und der Gabelantilope (Antilocapra americana) erprobt wurde. Sie besteht darin, daß die Wildarten aufgezogen sind und, durch ihre Vertrautheit dem Beobachter gegenüber, auf kürzeste Distanz Untersuchungen über die Nahrungswahl zulassen. Die Brauchbarkeit der Methode wurde unter anderem auch durch vergleichende Losungsuntersuchungen bestätigt.

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Summary To improve the wildlife habitat effectively it is important to know the nutritional intake of the wild animals species in question. A method is discussed here which has been used successfully for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana). The method consists of raising and training young animals in such a manner that they, because they have complete trust in their observers, could be observed when foraging from a very close distance. The usefulness of the method was investigated also by comparing the plant fragments content of fecal pellets from wild and tame animals foraging the same general area.

     

Amino Acid Residues Controlling Domain Interaction and Interdomain Electron Transfer in Cellobiose Dehydrogenase

The function of cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) in biosensors, biofuel cells, and as a physiological redox partner of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) is based on its role as an electron donor. Before donating electrons to LPMO or electrodes, an interdomain electron transfer from the catalytic FAD-containing dehydrogenase domain to the electron shuttling cytochrome domain of CDH is required. This study investigates the role of two crucial amino acids located at the dehydrogenase domain on domain interaction and interdomain electron transfer by structure-based engineering. The electron transfer kinetics of wild-type Myriococcum thermophilum CDH and its variants M309A, R698S, and M309A/R698S were analyzed by stopped-flow spectrophotometry and structural effects were studied by small-angle X-ray scattering. The data show that R698 is essential to pull the cytochrome domain close to the dehydrogenase domain and orient the heme propionate group towards the FAD, while M309 is an integral part of the electron transfer pathway – its mutation reducing the interdomain electron transfer 10-fold. Structural models and molecular dynamics simulations pinpoint the action of these two residues on the domain interaction and interdomain electron transfer.     

Numerical Modeling of Macrosegregation in Binary Alloys Solidifying in the Presence of Electromagnetic Stirring

A model for predicting solidification and solute segregation of binary alloys undergoing electromagnetic stirring has been developed. A dual-zone formulation was employed to describe the velocity fields in the mushy region. The key feature of this model lies in its accounting for flow damping in the suspended particle region via turbulent interactions the crystallite surfaces. The damping force is given in terms of the turbulent kinetic energy, fraction solid, and the crystallite sphericity. The computed macrosegregation results for Al-4.5 pctCu alloy were validated against, and were found to agree with, experimental measurements. The effect of final grain size and frequency on segregation was also determined. This validated model represents a rigorous mathematical framework for describing the flow behavior and solute segregation in electromagnetically stirred melts.     

Notes on An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Image Processing

A 2012 MIT Press book by Steven L. Tanimoto focuses on types of images that are markedly different from the examples found in other texts on similar topics. In addition to introducing basic image programming methods, it encourages exploration of the artistic and esthetic aspects of image synthesis and image transformations.     

Glycidyl esters in refined palm (Elaeis guineensis) oil and related fractions. Part I: Formation mechanism

Glycidyl esters (GE) are process contaminants generated during the deodorisation step of edible oil refining. In particular, GE are found in high abundance in refined palm oil. Palm oil is unique in that it contains a high amount of diacylglycerols (DAG, 4-12%). In the present study, a series of model reactions mimicking palm oil deodorisation has been conducted with pure tri-, di- and mono-acylglycerols (MAG). Results showed that GE are formed from DAG and MAG, but not from TAG, at temperatures (T) above 200 °C. Our observations suggest that GE are formed predominantly by intramolecular elimination of a fatty acid from DAG. In addition, isomers of GE, formed from DAG heated at T > 140 °C, were identified as oxopropyl esters. These new isomers were found to represent approximately 10% of GE levels in refined palm oil. Based on these considerations, the final GE content of palm oil could be limited by reducing DAG levels before oil processing and minimising deodorisation temperatures.     

Non-covalent binding of proteins to polyphenols correlates with their amino acid sequence

The present paper describes the assessment of non-covalent binding (NCB) between milk proteins and polyphenols and its correlation with the physicochemical parameters of proteins. A method based on ultrafiltration and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyse free and non-covalently bound polyphenols (ligands) in mixtures with major milk proteins. Binding strength values of individual polyphenols were normalised to those obtained with quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside), used as a reference compound. NCB data acquired by experiments at pH 6.6 without any preliminary protein denaturation were correlated with the physicochemical parameters of ligands and proteins. Unsupervised multivariate analysis revealed that NCB of proteins clustered according to their family (caseins separated from albumins). Based on this model, a predictive relationship was observed between protein-polyphenol binding strength and primary/secondary structure parameters of the proteins e.g. number of charges, proline residues and extended strand. These results confirm that, under the investigated experimental conditions, the NCB between polyphenols and protein mixtures can be predicted and optimised based on the molecular structures.     

The role of ultimate elongation in the determination of valid ligament range of essential work of fracture tests

In this study, the feasibility of a previously proposed ultimate elongation-based criterion of essential work of fracture (EWF) method was reconsidered for several materials. Suitable ductility level (DL) ranges for the EWF testing of polymers were discussed, too. It was shown that there is a relationship between the DL terms and the experimentally estimated crack opening displacement values. Based on Coterell’s estimate of the size of the fracture process zone a lower ligament limit of EWF concept was also presented. This lower bound should be considered for thin samples where the original thickness-dependent criteria seemed to be not severe enough.