Two‐phase flow convective condensation of refrigerant mixtures under gas/liquid injection

The influence of gas/liquid injection on two‐phase flow condensation heat transfer characteristics of some refrigerant mixtures in horizontal enhanced surface tubing is presented. Correlations were proposed to predict the impact of the gas/liquid injection on the heat transfer characteristics such as average heat transfer coefficient of R‐507, R‐404A, R‐410A, and R‐407C in two‐phase flow condensation inside enhanced surface tubing. The data also revealed that gas, liquid and gas/liquid injection is beneficial at certain gas/liquid injection ratios to the heat transfer coefficient depending upon the Reynolds number and the condensation point of the refrigerant mixtures in question. It was also evident that the proposed condensation correlations and the experimental data were applicable to the entire heat and mass flux, investigated in the present study under gas/liquid injection conditions. The deviation between the experimental and predicted under gas/liquid injection were less than ± 10, for the majority of data. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Carbodiimide Coupling Approach for PEGylating GelMA and Further Tuning GelMA Composite Properties

To date the low mechanical strength and high swelling rate of gelatin-based products have limited their use toward many tissue engineering targets. Here a new approach to tuning methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) properties involving the carbodiimide coupling of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the GelMA molecule is investigated. PEGylation improves the capacity of the solution to flow and reduces hydrogel swelling, while in composite form with nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) particles there is no impact on swelling. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reveals that PEGylation likely restores some of the triple helical nature of gelatin to the GelMA and increases steric hindrance. Furthermore, triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate inclusion in GelMA-PEG composites is able to address the loss in dynamic stiffness reported as a result of PEGylation. Altogether PEGylated GelMA shows evidence of reduced interaction with water compared to control GelMA, whether alone or in composite form. By tuning this interaction and reducing the volume of water necessary to solvate GelMA, the potential to use GelMA composites for a variety of tissue engineering applications is greatly improved.     

Cancer Vaccines,Treatment of the Future: With Emphasis on HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women. With improvements in early-stage diagnosis and targeted therapies, there has been an improvement in the overall survival rate in breast cancer over the past decade. Despite the development of targeted therapies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, as well as monoclonal antibodies and their toxin conjugates, all metastatic tumors develop resistance, and nearly one-third of HER2+ breast cancer patients develop resistance to all these therapies. Although antibody therapy has shown promising results in breast cancer patients, passive immunotherapy approaches have limitations and need continuous administration over a long period. Vaccine therapy introduces antigens that act on cancer cells causing prolonged activation of the immune system. In particular, cancer relapse could be avoided due to the presence of a longer period of immunological memory with an effective vaccine that can protect against various tumor antigens. Cancer vaccines are broadly classified as preventive and therapeutic. Preventive vaccines are used to ward off any future infections and therapeutic vaccines are used to treat a person with active disease. In this article, we provided details about the tumor environment, different types of vaccines, their advantages and disadvantages, and the current status of various vaccine candidates with a focus on vaccines for breast cancer. Current data indicate that therapeutic vaccines themselves have limitations in terms of efficacy and are used in combination with other chemotherapeutic or targeting agents. The majority of breast cancer vaccines are undergoing clinical trials and the next decade will see the fruitfulness of breast cancer vaccine therapy.     

An Exploration of Substrate Coupling at K-Band Between a SiGe HBT Power Amplifier and a SiGe HBT Voltage-Controlled-Oscillator

This work presents a case study of circuit-to-circuit substrate coupling between a 24-GHz power amplifier (PA) and a 23-GHz voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) implemented in a commercially-available SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor BiCMOS technology. The concurrent operation of these two circuits on the same silicon die results in -33dB of coupling between the PA's output and the VCO's output. Different testing configurations are considered to verify the dominant path of the coupling. These results highlight the potential challenges for silicon-based monolithic systems targeting microwave operational frequencies     

Distinction between esterases and lipases: a kinetic study with vinyl esters and TAG

The better to characterize enzymes hydrolyzing carboxyl ester bonds (carboxyl ester hydrolases), we have compared the kinetic behavior of various lipases and esterases against solutions and emulsions of vinyl esters and TAG. Shortchain vinyl esters are hydrolyzed at comparable rates by esterases and lipases and have higher limits of solubility in water than corresponding TAG. Therefore, they are suited to study the influence of the physical state of the substrate on carboxyl ester hydrolase activity within a large concentration range. Enzymes used in this study are TAG lipases from microorganisms, lipases from human and guinea pig pancreas, pig liver esterase, and acetylcholinesterase. This study also includes cutinase, a fungal enzyme that displays functional properties between esterases and lipases. Esterases display maximal activity against solutions of short-chain vinyl esters (vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, and vinyl butyrate) and TAG (triacetin, tripropionin, and tributyrin). Half-maximal activity is reached at ester concentrations far below the solubility limit. The transition from solution to emulsion at substrate concentrations exceeding the solubility limit has no effect on esterase activity. Lipases are active on solutions of short-chain vinyl esters and TAG but, in contrast to esterases, they all display maximal activity against emulsified substrates and half-maximal activity is reached at substrate concentrations near the solubility limit of the esters. The kinetics of hydrolysis of soluble substrates by lipases are either hyperbolic or deviate from the Michaelis-Menten model and show no or weak interfacial activation. The presence of molecular aggregates in solutions of short-chain substrates, as evidenced by a spectral dye method, likely accounts for the activity of lipases against soluble esters. Unlike esterases, lipases hydrolyze emulsions of water-insoluble medium- and long-chain vinyl esters and IAG such as vinyl laurate, trioctanoin, and olive oil. In conclusion, comparisons of the kinetic behavior of carboxyl ester hydrolases against solutions and emulsions of vinyl esters and TAG allows the distinction between lipases and esterases. In this respect, it clearly appears that guinea pig pancreatic lipase and cutinase are unambiguously classified as lipases.     

Application of Immobilized Lipase from Candida rugosa to Synthesis of Cholesterol Oleate

Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) has been immobilized on two kinds of ion-exchange resins, Duolite A 568 and Amberlite IRC 50. These preparations were investigated as a tool for the production of cholesterol oleate in organic media. An increase in temperature up to 40°C increased the rate of reaction and improved the final ester yield. Under optimal conditions, the reaction yield was followed as a time function, for both lipase preparations with an initial water content of 20%. Then, it was observed that about 78% of the oleic acid was esterified after 10 h using CRL immobilized on Duolite, whereas 73% synthesis of cholesterol oleate was reached with CRL immobilized on Amberlite, for the same incubation time. Also, a difference in reaction yield was noticed for the preparations containing sorbitol. In fact, sorbitol treatment might improve the activity of immobilized lipase by preserving the watershell around the catalyst and by increasing the accessibility of the active site to the substrates. In this way, the reaction yield was enhanced, and an increase of 10% synthesis of cholesterol oleate was obtained in both cases. © 1997 SCI.     

Biochemical and structural characterization of triacylglycerol lipase from Penicillium cyclopium

An extracellular lipase, active on water-insoluble triacylglycerols, has been isolated from Penicillium cyclopium. The purified enzyme has a molecular mass of 29 kDa by gel filtration and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It hydrolyzes emulsions of tributyrin, trioctanoin, and olive oil at the same rate as pancreatic lipase and shows very low activity against partial acylglycerols (monooctanoin and dioctanoin) and methyl esters. It is stable at 35°C for 60 min and has maximal activity in a pH range of 8–10. Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols by P. cyclopium lipase is inhibited by detergents such as Triton X-100. Comparison of the sequence of the 20 first amino acid residues of P. cyclopium triacylglycerol lipase with other Penicillium lipases indicates a high homology with previously characterized lipases produced by P. expansum and P. solitum which are enzymes of comparable size and substrate specificity. Conversely, homology between P. cyclopium lipase and P. simplicissimum lipase, a nonspecific lipolytic enzyme, is low. Penicillium cyclopium triacylglycerol lipase shows no homology with P. camembertii lipase which is specific to monoacylglycerol and diacylglycerol.     

Free‐Standing Functionalized Graphene Oxide Solid Electrolytes in Electrochemical Gas Sensors

A free‐standing sulfonic acid functionalized graphene oxide (fSGO)‐based electrolyte film is prepared and used in an electrochemical gas sensor, an alcohol fuel cell sensor (AFCS), for the detection of alcohol. The fSGO electrolyte film‐based AFCS detects ethanol vapor with excellent response, linearity, and sensitivity, since it possesses a high proton conductivity (58 mS cm^?1 at 55 °C). An ethanol detection limit level as low as 25 ppm is achieved and high selectivity for ethanol over acetone is demonstrated. These results do not only show the promising potential of fSGO films in an electrochemical gas sensors, specifically a portable breathalyzer, but also open an alternative pathway to investigate the application of graphene derivatives in the field of gas sensors.     

Geothermal Energy Potential of Active Northern Underground Mines: Designing a System Relying on Mine Water

Mine Water and the Environment - Mines in northern regions must heat underground workings, surface buildings, or process water due to frigid weather conditions. Mining companies commonly use fossil...     

Left‐handed scrolling for pen‐based devices

The effectiveness of interaction with mobile devices can be impacted by handedness; however, support for handedness in the interface is rarely provided. The goal of this article is to demonstrate that handedness is a significant interface consideration that should not be overlooked. Four studies were conducted to explore left‐handed user interaction with right‐ or left‐aligned scrollbars on personal digital assistants. Analysis of the data shows that left‐handed users are able to select targets significantly faster using a left‐aligned scrollbar when compared to a right‐aligned scrollbar. User feedback also indicated that a left‐aligned scrollbar was preferred by left‐handed users and provided more natural interaction.