Energy saving in case of intermittent production by retrofitting service plant systems through inverter technology: a feasibility study

Many production machines have high energy consumption due to the large number of electrical motors used to rotate equipment, such as tools, fans and pumps. Moreover, in different industrial sectors production is not continuous but intermittent, where working times alternate with idle times. During idle times continuous switch off is not always possible due to technical limitations, and if it is possible, it can cause higher energy consumption due to peak current at the start-up of the electrical motors. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the possibility of managing intermittent production using inverter technology. The inverter provides power control by managing the frequency and voltage of the power supplied to the alternating current motors. The study analyses the potential energy consumption reduction as a function of the production parameters (number of daily stops, average working time, etc.) and develops a feasibility analysis, its related investment cost and its potential energy consumption reduction. As a result, the proposed feasibility study defines the set of production parameters and the types of equipment for which this technology is suitable, bringing rapid investment payback. The proposed feasibility analysis is validated by an industrial case study related to a tannery spray plant.     

Progress in control and data acquisition for the ITER neutral beam test facility

SPIDER, the ion source test bed in the ITER neutral beam test facility, is under construction and its operation is expected to start in 2014. Control and data acquisition for SPIDER are undergoing final design. SPIDER CODAS, as the control and data acquisition system is referred to, is requested to manage 25 plant units, to acquire 1000 analogue signals with sampling rates ranging from a few S/s to 10 MS/s, to acquire images with up to 100 frames per second, to operate with long pulses lasting up to 1 h, and to sustain 200 MB/s data throughput into the data archive with an annual data storage amount of up to 50 TB. SPIDER CODAS software architecture integrates three open-source software frameworks each addressing specific system requirements. Slow control exploits the synergy among EPICS and Siemens S7 programmable controllers. Data handling is by MDSplus a data-centric framework that is geared towards the collection and organization of scientific data. Diagnostics based on imaging drive the design of data throughput and archive size. Fast control is implemented by using MARTe, a data-driven, object-oriented, real-time environment. The paper will describe in detail the progress of the system hardware and software architecture and will show how the software frameworks interact to provide the functions requested by SPIDER CODAS. The paper will focus on how the performance requirements can be met with the described SPIDER CODAS architecture, describing the progress achieved by carrying out prototyping activities.     

Curvature Ratio Effect on Two-Phase Pressure Drops in Horizontal Return Bends: Experimental Data for R134a

This article presents 154 pressure drop data points measured during two-phase flow of R-134a in horizontal return bends. The tube diameter is constant at 10.85 mm and the curvature ratio is either 7.74 or 5.53. Saturation temperature varies from 15 to 20°C, vapor quality from 0.05 and 0.95, and mass velocity ranges from 300 to 600 kg m^?2 s^?1. Return bend pressure drops are calculated by subtracting the straight tube pressure drop from the total measured pressure drop along the bend. The perturbations induced up- and downstream of the singularity are taken into account in the measurements. The comparison of the pressure drops for the two configurations (curvature ratio of 5.53 and 7.74) showed that they are greater (about 10%) for the larger curvature ratio. This can be attributed to the effect of the developed length on the pressure drop; on the other side the pressure gradients are larger for the lower curvature ratio, which can be explained by the effect of the centrifugal force and the perturbations up- and downstream of the return bend. The experimental data are compared against four prediction methods available in the literature. The Domanski and Hermès correlation is the best at predicting the present data.     

Peptide-containing aggregates as selective nanocarriers for therapeutics

New nanocarriers are obtained by assembling two amphiphilic monomers: one containing the bioactive peptide CCK8 spaced, by a polydisperse poly(ethylene glycol), from two hydrophobic tails ((C18)2PEG2000CCK8), and the other containing a chelating agent able to give stable radiolabeled indium-111 complexes linked to the same hydrophobic moiety ((C18)2DTPAGlu). The size and shape of the supramolecular aggregates were structurally characterized by dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and cryogenic transmission electronic microscopy. Under the experimental conditions we investigated (pH 7.4 and molar ratio between monomers 30:70), there is the presence of high polydisperse aggregates: rod-like micelles with a radius of approximately 40 A and length >700 A, open bilayer fragments with thickness approximately 65 A, and probably vesicles. The presence of the bioactive peptide well exposed on the external surface of the aggregate allows selective targeting of nanocarriers towards the cholecystokinin receptors overexpressed by the cancerous cells. In vitro binding assays and in vivo biodistribution studies by nuclear medicine experiments using indium-111 are reported. Moreover, preliminary data concerning the drug loading capability of the aggregates and their drug efficiency on the target cells is reported by using the cytotoxic drug doxorubicin. Incubation of receptor-positive and control cells with peptide-containing aggregates filled with doxorubicin shows significantly lower cell survival in receptor-expressing cells relative to the control, for samples incubated in the presence of doxorubicin.     

Synthesis and Biological Studies of Pyrazolyl‐Diamine PtII Complexes Containing Polyaromatic DNA‐Binding Groups

New [PtCl(pz*NN)]ⁿ⁺ complexes anchored by pyrazolyl‐diamine (pz*NN) ligands incorporating anthracenyl or acridine orange DNA‐binding groups have been synthesized so as to obtain compounds that would display synergistic effects between platination and intercalation of DNA. Study of their interaction with supercoiled DNA indicated that the anthracenyl‐containing complex L²Pt displays a covalent type of binding, whereas the acridine orange counterpart L³Pt shows a combination of intercalative and covalent binding modes with a strong contribution from the former. L²Pt showed a very strong cytotoxic effect on ovarian carcinoma cell lines A2780 and A2780cisR, which are, respectively, sensitive to and resistant to cisplatin. In these cell lines, L²Pt is nine to 27 times more cytotoxic than cisplatin. In the sensitive cell line, L³Pt showed a cytotoxic activity similar to that of cisplatin, but like L²Pt was able significantly to overcome cisplatin cross‐resistance. Cell‐uptake studies showed that L²Pt accumulates preferentially in the cytoplasm, whereas L³Pt reaches the cell nucleus more easily, as clearly visualized by time‐lapse confocal imaging of live A2870 cells. Altogether, these findings seem to indicate that interaction with biological targets other than DNA might be involved in the mechanism of action of L²Pt because this compound, despite having a weaker ability to target the cell nucleus than L³Pt , as well as an inferior DNA affinity, is nevertheless more cytotoxic. Furthermore, ultrastructural studies of A2870 cells exposed to L²Pt and L³Pt revealed that these complexes induce different alterations in cell morphology, thus indicating the involvement of different modes of action in cell death.     

Structure-quality relationship in commercial pasta: a molecular glimpse

Presence and stability of a protein network was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy, by protein solubility studies, and by assessing the accessibility of protein thiols in samples of commercial Italian semolina pasta made in industrial plants using different processes. The pasting properties of starch in each sample were evaluated by means of a viscoamylograph. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to evaluate water distribution and water mobility in dry pasta, and at various cooking times. The molecular information derived from these studies was related to sensory indices, indicating that protein reticulation was dependent on the process conditions, which affected water penetration, distribution, and mobility during cooking. Products with a crosswise gradient of water mobility once cooked had the best sensory scores at optimal cooking time, whereas products with a less compact protein network performed better when slightly overcooked.     

Comparison of lipid effects on structural features of hard and soft wheat flour proteins assessed by front-face fluorescence

Front-face fluorescence was used to assess changes in the structural features of proteins in wheat flour dough upon addition of different exogenous lipids. Structural changes resulting from the solvation of proteins and from the mechanical deformation of proteins in dough or dough containing lipids were measured. The effects of lipid type and addition on changes in overall protein surface hydrophobicity were estimated by titrating soft and hard wheat flours, mixed with water and varying the lipid levels, with increasing concentrations of the fluorescence hydrophobic probes 1,8 anilino-napthalene-sulphonate (ANS) and thioflavin T. The lipid type and level modified the exposure of the probe to the solvent. The effects of lipids were more apparent with soft wheat flour having low-affinity hydrophobic sites on the protein surface. The dough was then characterized upon consistent mixing and physical modification in the farinograph at constant water and ANS/thioflavin T concentration, while varying the type and amount of lipids. Lipid-dependent shifts toward longer wavelengths in the probe fluorescent emission with low-protein flour suggest differences in protein coating effects related to lipid structure and protein quality.     

Heat shock treatments: a new safe approach against lichen growth on outdoor stone surfaces

The control of lichen growth, particularly important in the field of stone conservation of outdoor monuments, largely depends on the use of biocides, that may be dangerous for the users, the environment and the substratum. A new, alternative approach is proposed, which makes the most of a poorly known peculiarity of poikilohydrous organisms: they are thermo-tolerant (up to 65-70 °C) when dry, but thermo-sensitive when wet. The efficacy of thermal treatments (range: 20-55 °C), in parallel to the application of three biocides, was verified in the laboratory with six epi- and endolithic lichens. Chlorophyll a fluorescence emission was checked in treated and nontreated samples of all the species, whereas histochemical observations with a dead cell stain were carried out on one of them. The feasibility of the thermal treatments in the field was verified with a seventh species. The results confirm that a 6 h treatment at 55 °C is sufficient to kill the lichens if they are kept fully hydrated. At 40 °C the organisms are damaged: in this case biocides at concentrations 10× lower than in normal applications can profitably be used. The new protocol is simple, the field equipment cheap, and the negative effects associated with standard biocide treatments are absent.     

Lipid Transfer to HDL is Higher in Marathon Runners than in Sedentary Subjects,but is Acutely Inhibited During the Run

Although exercise increases HDL-cholesterol, exercise-induced changes in HDL metabolism have been little explored. Lipid transfer to HDL is essential for HDL’s role in reverse cholesterol transport. We investigated the effects of acute exhaustive exercise on lipid transfer to HDL. We compared plasma lipid, apolipoprotein and cytokine levels and in vitro transfer of four lipids from a radioactively labeled lipid donor nanoemulsion to HDL in sedentary individuals (n = 28) and in marathon runners (n = 14) at baseline, immediately after and 72 h after a marathon. While HDL-cholesterol concentrations and apo A1 levels were higher in marathon runners, LDL-cholesterol, apo B and triacylglycerol levels were similar in both groups. Transfers of non-esterified cholesterol [6.8 (5.7–7.2) vs. 5.2 (4.5–6), p = 0.001], phospholipids [21.7 (20.4–22.2) vs. 8.2 (7.7–8.9), p = 0.0001] and triacylglycerol [3.7 (3.1–4) vs. 1.3 (0.8–1.7), p = 0.0001] were higher in marathon runners, but esterified-cholesterol transfer was similar. Immediately after the marathon, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol concentrations and apo A1 levels were unchanged, but apo B and triacylglycerol levels increased. Lipid transfer of non-esterified cholesterol [6.8 (5.7–7.2) vs. 5.8 (4.9–6.6), p = 0.0001], phospholipids [21.7 (20.4–22.2) vs. 19.1 (18.6–19.3), p = 0.0001], esterified-cholesterol [3.2 (2.2–3.8) vs. 2.3 (2–2.9), p = 0.02] and triacylglycerol [3.7 (3.1–4) vs. 2.6 (2.1–2.8), p = 0.0001] to HDL were all reduced immediately after the marathon but returned to baseline 72 h later. Running a marathon increased IL-6 and TNF-α levels, but after 72 h these values returned to baseline. Lipid transfer, except esterified-cholesterol transfer, was higher in marathon runners than in sedentary individuals, but the marathon itself acutely inhibited lipid transfer. In light of these novel observations, further study is required to clarify how these metabolic changes can influence HDL composition and anti-atherogenic function.     

A multi-residue method for the determination of 90 pesticides in matrices with a high water content by LC-MS/MS without clean-up

A method using QuEChERS extraction and LC-MS/MS in electrospray positive ionisation mode was developed and validated for the analysis of 90 pesticides in a high water content matrix (tomato) in a single chromatographic run. To assess the intra-laboratory reproducibility of the method, validation was conducted on four different days by two different analysts. The validation data was treated using a spreadsheet developed in-house, which sets the most appropriate model for linear fit by determining whether the residuals of the calibration curves are homocedastic or heterocedastic. A statistical test for the significance of regression was also carried out. Calibration was always matrix-matched and the curves were obtained over the range 0.0075-0.10 or 0.020-0.125 mg kg(-1). Identification of analytes was based on retention times and MRM ratios. Recoveries were assessed at four different levels for each analyte and were between 73 and 106%, with relative standard deviations under reproducibility conditions of <20%. The measurement uncertainties of the method for each pesticide analysed were below 50%. Previous validation of the same method, applied to papaya samples and satisfactory results obtained in various proficiency tests with different high water content matrices, demonstrated the applicability of the method to these classes of commodities, without clean-up. The validated method will be applied routinely in the pesticide residues monitoring programme that constitutes the National Residue and Contaminant Control Plan of Brazil.