Modeling studies of low‐temperature aerobic NOx reduction by a sequence of LNT‐SCR catalysts

The relationship between fuel penalty and precious metal loading in coupled LNT? SCR systems for NO_x reduction at low temperatures is determined. Simulations of adiabatic, aerobic NO_x reduction determine the impact of catalyst architecture, precious metal loading, cycle time, catalyst length and the support material. These revealed that (a) high NO_x conversion can be achieved for a given precious metal loading at low temperatures (510 K) with about 0.3% fuel penalty, (b) shortened cycle time and increased pulse duty reduce the overall NO_x slip from the coupled catalyst and lead to significant improvement in the NO_x conversion, (c) alternate arrangement of the LNT/SCR catalysts increases the NO_x conversion, (d) a monotonic decreasing PGM loading in LNT leads to higher NO_x conversion compared to uniform loading, (e) for a fixed catalyst volume, there is an optimal aspect ratio that maximizes the nonisothermal effect, and (f) metal based monolith supports improve NO_x conversion. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 3421–3431, 2013     

Effects and Related Mechanisms of the Senolytic Agent ABT-263 on the Survival of Irradiated A549 and Ca9-22 Cancer Cells

Senolytic agents eliminate senescent cells and are expected to reduce senescent cell-mediated adverse effects in cancer therapy. However, the effects of senolytic agents on the survival of irradiated cancer cells remain unknown. Here, the effects of the senolytic agent ABT-263 on the survival of irradiated A549 and Ca9-22 cancer cells were investigated. ABT-263 was added to the culture medium after irradiation. SA-β-gal activity and cell size, which are hallmarks of cell senescence, were evaluated using a flow cytometer. The colony-forming assay and annexin V staining were performed to test cell survival. We first confirmed that radiation increased the proportion of cells with high SA-β-gal activity and that ABT-263 decreased it. Of note, ABT-263 decreased the survival of irradiated cancer cells and increased the proportion of radiation-induced annexin V⁺ cells. Furthermore, the caspase inhibitor suppressed the ABT-263-induced decrease in the survival of irradiated cells. Intriguingly, ABT-263 decreased the proportion of SA-β-gal low-activity/large cells in the irradiated A549 cells, which was recovered by the caspase inhibitor. Together, these findings suggest that populations maintaining the ability to proliferate existed among the irradiated cancer cells showing senescence-related features and that ABT-263 eliminated the population, which led to decreased survival of irradiated cancer cells.     

Self-organizing cell tactile perception which depends on mechanical stimulus history

Living organisms are capable of self-reproduction, self-repair, and high adaptability through self-organization. By applying biological materials such as cells and tissues to a robot, the resulting bio-machine hybrid system can perform important biological functions beyond those of traditional robots. In this study, we focused on the mechanobiological properties of a C2C12 cell, which is an immortalized mouse myoblast cell line. Calcium ion levels increased when the cells were subjected to mechanical stimuli. This type of physiological phenomenon can be applied in novel tactile sensors to develop a bio-machine hybrid system. We verified the tactile sensation characteristics of the cells. We cultured the cells on a thin polydimethylsulfoxane (PDMS) membrane. We applied two types of mechanical stimuli to opposite sides of the PDMS membrane. Next, we observed the cell distributions and quantified the increase in calcium ion levels inside the cells for tactile sensation. Our results demonstrate that the mechanical stimuli caused significant changes in the orientation and local density of cell aggregation. Interestingly, we confirmed that calcium ion increases depend on the history of mechanical stimuli application.     

Focus on the interlude between topographic transition and cell response on shape-memory surfaces

Shape-memory surfaces with on demand, tunable nano-patterns have been developed to observe time dependent changes in fibroblast cell alignment using temperature-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) films. The PCL films were prepared by crosslinking tetra-branched and linear PCLs, each with acrylate end-groups. Permanent surface patterns were generated by crosslinking the PCLs in a mold. Temporary surface patterns were later embossed into the crosslinked PCL. NIH 3T3 cells cultured on the temporal nanopatterns showed marked alignment along the pattern direction, regardless of their ridge and groove widths. Then, the direction of grooves was suddenly transitioned 90° to the temporary ridges. Holographic microscope revealed that the application of heat quickly and completely transitioned temporal to permanent patterns within 30 s. However, it took more than 2 h for cells on substrate with 500 nm grooves to change their orientation, while it took more than 8 h on substrate with 2000 nm grooves. This different alignment behavior can be explained by the different adhesion strength and reorganization of cytoskeletal proteins on nano-v.s. micro-patterns. Dynamically tunable nano-structured surfaces, therefore, can be used to study the effects of surface nano-geometries on time-dependent cytoskeleton remodeling under biological relevant conditions.     

The Functional Diversity of Nitric Oxide Synthase Isoforms in Human Nose and Paranasal Sinuses: Contrasting Pathophysiological Aspects in Nasal Allergy and Chronic Rhinosinusitis

The human paranasal sinuses are the major source of intrinsic nitric oxide (NO) production in the human airway. NO plays several roles in the maintenance of physiological homeostasis and the regulation of airway inflammation through the expression of three NO synthase (NOS) isoforms. Measuring NO levels can contribute to the diagnosis and assessment of allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). In symptomatic AR patients, pro-inflammatory cytokines upregulate the expression of inducible NOS (iNOS) in the inferior turbinate. Excessive amounts of NO cause oxidative damage to cellular components, leading to the deposition of cytotoxic substances. CRS phenotype and endotype classifications have provided insights into modern treatment strategies. Analyses of the production of sinus NO and its metabolites revealed pathobiological diversity that can be exploited for useful biomarkers. Measuring nasal NO based on different NOS activities is a potent tool for specific interventions targeting molecular pathways underlying CRS endotype-specific inflammation. We provide a comprehensive review of the functional diversity of NOS isoforms in the human sinonasal system in relation to these two major nasal disorders’ pathologies. The regulatory mechanisms of NOS expression associated with the substrate bioavailability indicate the involvement of both type 1 and type 2 immune responses.     

Fluxes and Patterns of Wall Deposits for Skim Milk in a Pilot-Scale Spray Dryer

The pattern of wall deposits in a pilot-scale spray dryer has been studied, using skim milk, by changing the flow rate to the nozzle and measuring the resultant deposition fluxes at different positions inside the dryer. The solids concentration was maintained at 30%. The deposition was measured at three locations of the conical section and in the cylindrical section of the spray dryer. Particle deposition can be either due to the inertia of the particles or turbulent diffusion, and it is not immediately obvious which of these mechanisms is dominant. Inertial deposition appeared to be present mainly at the bottom location of the conical section and was the largest amount in quantitative terms, being at least an order of magnitude larger compared with diffusion deposition, which seemed to be dominant on the side (cylindrical) walls of the spray dryer. In addition to the above observations, the deposition patterns in the conical section have been quantified. The relative deposition flux, in m^-2, which is the ratio of the deposition flux, in g m^-2 h^-1, to the solids flow rate into the dryer, in g h^-1, was between 0.04 and 0.09 m^-2 at a solids concentration of 8.8% and between 0.15 and 0.4 m^-2 at a solids concentration of 30%. The fused appearance of the microstructure in the wall deposits of skim milk powder, as seen in the Micro-CT study, suggests that re-entrainment of the wall deposits is unlikely.     

Robustness of the multigrid method for edge‐based finite element analysis

The dependence of the multigrid finite element method solving three‐dimensional magnetostatic fields on the quality of the finite element mesh is reported. It is shown that the convergence of the multigrid method is strongly influenced by the mesh quality. Moreover, the multigrid method with ICCG smoother is shown to be more robust against mesh distortion than that with Gauss–Seidel and SOR smoothers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 148(1): 75–81, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10289     

Synthesis and gas permeability of poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-phenyleneethynylene)s having bulky alkoxy or alkyl groups

Dipropynylbenzene with branched alkoxy and alkyl groups [CH₃C≡CRC₆H₂RC≡CCH₃, R = 2-methylpropoxy (1a), 3-methylbutoxy (1b), 4-methylpentoxy (1c), cyclohexylmethoxy (1d), 2-ethylhexoxy (1e), 2-octoxy (1f), 2-ethylhexyl (1g), and 2-octyl (1h)] were polymerized with Mo(CO)₆ in the presence of 4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl to afford poly(2,5-di(alkoxy or alkyl)-p-phenyleneethynylene)s (2a–h). Polymer 2a was insoluble in any solvents, but the other polymers (2b–h) were soluble in common organic solvents. The polymers with relatively long side chains (2e–h) had high molecular weight over 1.6 × 10⁴ and gave free-standing membranes by solution-casting method. The densities of membranes of 2e–h were 0.914–0.998, and their fractional-free volume values were relatively large (0.094–0.158). The oxygen permeability coefficients of membranes of 2e–h were 18.4, 12.7, 4.85, and 19.3 barrers, respectively. It was found that poly(p-phenyleneethynylene) with 2-octyl side groups, which have the branch at the nearest position from main chain, exhibited the highest gas permeability.     

崛之内住宅

采访《中装》：崛之内住宅中结构的灵感来源是什么？Kota：整个设计围绕其细长的结构展开。最初我是想根据项目的结构来设计向河流敞开的多种形状的窗户,希望通过设计能够建立起窗户与河流之间的联系。