A Comparison of the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cis</Emphasis>-9, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trans</Emphasis>-11 Conjugated Linoleic Acid to Celecoxib in the Collagen-Induced Arthritis Model

Cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 inhibitors, such as celecoxib, for chronic inflammatory disease are associated with adverse health events, while cis‐9, trans‐11 (c9t11) conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is anti‐inflammatory without adverse events attributed to pure intake. Mechanistically, celecoxib and c9t11 disrupt the arachidonic acid cascade; however, the equivalency of anti‐inflammatory effects between these compounds is unknown. Therefore, to test the hypothesis that 0.5% dietary c9t11 reduces inflammation equivalently to a celecoxib dose intended to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA; 5 mg/kg bw), arthritic mice received diets containing one of the following supplements: 1% corn oil (CO, w/w), 0.5% c9t11 (>91% purity) +0.5% CO, or 1% CO + 0.5, 5, or 50 mg/kg bw celecoxib, and were assessed for changes in arthritic severity over 6 weeks. Overall, arthritic severity in mice fed c9t11 was reduced (34%, P < 0.01) while celecoxib doses (0.5, 5, 50 mg/kg) reduced arthritic severity (16, 56, 48%, respectively) compared to CO‐fed arthritic mice. Linear regression of the celecoxib dose‐response showed 0.5% c9t11 (570 mg/kg bw) reduced arthritic severity equivalently to 1.5 mg/kg celecoxib. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) was increased in paws of arthritic mice fed CO compared to shams, but was decreased in arthritic groups fed 0.5% c9t11 and 5 mg/kg celecoxib, compared to arthritic mice fed CO (Ps ≤ 0.05). Additionally, paw and plasma IL‐10 levels in arthritic mice were decreased by 5 mg/kg celecoxib, but were unaffected by c9t11 compared to CO. Results suggest dietary c9t11 may be an effective adjunct to COX‐2 inhibition for treating chronic inflammation.     

Reaction of N-phenylhydroxylamine in the presence of clay catalysts

The condensation reaction of N-phenylhydroxylamine in the presence of clay catalysts was studied. The main products of this reaction are azoxybenzene, aniline and nitrosobenzene. In contrast with the previously published results, p-nitrosodiphenylamine is not formed during the condensation reaction. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Measurements and modelling of free-surface turbulent flows induced by a magnetic stirrer in an unbaffled stirred tank reactor

Measurements and numerical simulations of turbulent flows with free-surface vortex in an unbaffled reactor agitated by a cylindrical magnetic stirrer are presented. Measurements of the three mean and fluctuating components of the velocity vector are made using a laser Doppler velocimetry in order to characterise the flow field at different speeds of the stirrer. A homogeneous Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase flow model coupled with a volume-of-fluid method for interface capturing is applied to determine the vortex shape and to compute the turbulent flow field in the reactor. Turbulence is modelled using a second-moment differential Reynolds-stress transport (RST) model, but for some cases the k-ε/k-ω based shear-stress transport (SST) model is also used. The predictions obtained using the ANSYS CFX-5.7 computational fluid dynamics code are compared with the images of the vortex and the measured distributions of mean axial, radial and tangential velocities and turbulent kinetic energy. The predicted general shape of the liquid free-surface is in good agreement with measurements, but the vortex depth is underpredicted. The overall agreement between the measured and the predicted axial and tangential velocities obtained with the RST model is good. However, the radial velocity is significantly underpredicted. Predictions of the turbulent kinetic energy yield reasonably good agreement with measurements in the bulk flow region, but discrepancy exists near the reactor wall where this quantity is underpredicted. The SST model predictions are generally of the same quality as those of the RST model, with the latter model providing better predictions of the tangential velocity distribution.     

Predicting the flow mode from hoppers using the discrete element method

In this work, the discrete element method (DEM) is used to assess powder flow from hoppers and the results are compared to widely-used hopper design charts. These design charts delineate mass-flow and funnel-flow behavior based on the hopper wall angle and a given set of material properties. The modeled system consists of hoppers with various wall angles and frictional, non-cohesive, spherical particles. The performance is assessed by measuring the particle residence times, particle velocities, and the extent of segregation during discharge. A Mass Flow Index (MFI) based on the velocity profile data is used to quantitatively characterize the nature of the flow pattern as mass-flow, funnel-flow, or some intermediate. The DEM predictions are generally in very good agreement with the Jenike design charts. The level of agreement shown here indicates that DEM cannot only reproduce the current estimates of hopper performance, but also provide additional insight into the flow-such as the internal granular structure-that may be difficult to obtain otherwise.     

Steam Reforming of Ethanol Over Supported Co and Ni Catalysts

The ethanol steam reforming has been investigated over supported cobalt catalysts at atmospheric pressure. About 12% cobalt was supported on Al₂O₃, SiO₂ and TiO₂, and a commercial Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst (G90B) was included for comparative purposes. The selectivity was found to depend strongly on the support, especially at low and medium temperatures. The initial activity of the cobalt catalysts correlated well with the metal dispersion. Acetaldehyde was an important C-containing product at low temperatures, whereas at high temperatures CO, CO₂ and CH₄ dominated the product spectrum. A significant production of ethene was observed, especially on the alumina-supported catalysts. The results are in agreement with a mechanism involving acetaldehyde as an intermediate in the steam reforming. At high temperatures (>550 °C) the conversion was complete and the product distribution approaches the equilibrium. The H₂ yield approached 5 moles H₂/mole ethanol converted, which is close to the maximum according to thermodynamic calculations. The alumina-supported catalysts (both Co and Ni) showed acceptable deactivation rates, but high carbon formation.     

Validated simulation of droplet sedimentation with finite-element and level-set methods

In the present paper freely sedimenting n-butanol droplets in water are simulated by means of computational fluid dynamics. The finite-element and the extended finite-element methods were implemented and evaluated. The level-set function is used for capturing the interface movement. The three-dimensional nonstationary simulations included the stages of droplet acceleration, deformation, and stability in terms of shape and velocity. The influence of the grid resolution, the computational domain walls, and the droplet initial velocity was investigated and quantified. The droplet diameters that were studied spanned the region of spherical, deformed, and oscillating droplets. The simulation results were compared to experiments and empirical models in terms of droplet shape, oscillation behavior and terminal velocity, showing good agreement. The extended finite-element method was found to provide simulation results in better accordance to the experiments and empirical models than the conventional finite-element method.     

Heparin Antagonism by Polyvalent Display of Cationic Motifs on Virus‐Like Particles

Particles to the rescue! The construction of cationic amino acid motifs on the surface of bacteriophage Qβ by genetic engineering or chemical conjugation gives particles that are potent inhibitors of the anticoagulant action of heparin, which is a common anticlotting agent subject to clinical overdose.

     

Reynolds number dependence of gas-phase turbulence in particle-laden flows: Effects of particle inertia and particle loading

A gas-particle flow experiment at a low particle loading (m = 0.4) in a vertical downward pipe is conducted at three different Reynolds numbers (Re = 6000, 10,000, and 13,000) to investigate the Re influence on the gas-phase turbulence modulation. The mean and fluctuating velocity data of both phases are acquired using a two-component LDV/PDA system. Two particles of varying degrees of inertia (i.e. high-density 70 µm glass beads and low-density 60 µm cenospheres) are used as the model particles to examine the effect of particle inertia on the trend in the turbulence modulation as a function of Re. An experiment at a higher particle loading (m = 4.0) using the glass beads is also conducted to examine the effect of particle concentration. In the presence of high inertia particles (St_T > 500) at a low particle loading, the gas-phase turbulence intensity in the pipe core is increased with increasing Re resulting in turbulence enhancement relative to the unladen flow. The turbulence enhancement is attributed to 1) a modification of the turbulence production by the Reynolds stress due to interparticle collision and/or 2) a reduction in the fluctuating drag force due to a change in the radial profile of the particle concentration. In contrast, the gas-phase turbulence intensity in the presence of low inertia particles (St_T < 500) is found to decrease with increasing Re similar to the trend in the unladen flow. Lastly, the turbulence enhancement at high Re is not observed at a high particle loading where the turbulent energy dissipation by the fluctuating drag force is dominant.