The isolated air perfused rat heart

A simple method has been developed for continuous monitoring of metabolic activity of an isolated, perfused rat heart by O2/CO2 respirometer. Since respirometer provides vital data on oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production of a preserved organ on a continuous basis over a long period of time, it will be possible to use this method to monitor viability of not only isolated heart but also any given donor organ under preservation.     

Mathematical and Scientific Foundations for an Integrative Engineering Curriculum

All fields of engineering, whether chemical, civil, electrical, materials, mechanical, etc., encompass a common body of essential mathematics and science. In the freshman year of Drexels E⁴ program, this common mathematical and scientific foundation is cultivated in the Mathematical and Scientific Foundations of Engineering I, II and III (MSFE I, MSFE II, MSFE III). In an integrated fashion, MSFE I presents the essential calculus, physics and engineering mechanics vital to the freshman engineering student. In the first two quarters, MSFE II presents chemistry with clearly defined engineering applications and significance: in the third quarter, MSFE II presents living systems with the same thrust. Also in the third quarter, MSFE III presents basic circuits and circuit elements, and a brief introduction to electromagnetic theory.     

Comparison of the indentation and elasticity of E. coli and its spheroplasts by AFM

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides a unique opportunity to study live individual bacteria at the nanometer scale. In addition to providing accurate morphological information, AFM can be exploited to investigate membrane protein localization and molecular interactions on the surface of living cells. A prerequisite for these studies is the development of robust procedures for sample preparation. While such procedures are established for intact bacteria, they are only beginning to emerge for bacterial spheroplasts. Spheroplasts are useful research models for studying mechanosensitive ion channels, membrane transport, lipopolysaccharide translocation, solute uptake, and the effects of antimicrobial agents on membranes. Furthermore, given the similarities between spheroplasts and cell wall-deficient (CWD) forms of pathogenic bacteria, spheroplast research could be relevant in biomedical research. In this paper, a new technique for immobilizing spheroplasts on mica pretreated with aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and glutaraldehyde is described. Using this mounting technique, the indentation and cell elasticity of glutaraldehyde-fixed and untreated spheroplasts of E. coli in liquid were measured. These values are compared to those of intact E. coli. Untreated spheroplasts were found to be much softer than the intact cells and the silicon nitride cantilevers used in this study.     

A novel multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)-based nanocomposite for PEFC electrodes

A novel nanocomposite comprising MWNTs and mixed-conducting polymeric components (electronic and ionic) is prepared, characterized and investigated as a support for platinum (Pt). Nanocomposite of MWNTs and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT?CPSS) is prepared by in situ polymerization and characterized using Fourier?CTransform infrared spectroscopy (FT?CIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies are also carried out to characterize the surface topography of MWNTs/PEDOT?CPSS nanocomposite. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies reveal that MWNTs/PEDOT?CPSS nanocomposite provides better backbone for the improved dispersion of Pt as evidenced by the reduced Pt crystallite size over MWNTs/PEDOT?CPSS nanocomposite compared to MWNTs. Electrochemical characterization studies performed with Pt/nanocomposite and Pt/MWNTs demonstrate the superior catalytic activity of Pt/nanocomposite under reduced Nafion loadings in relation to Pt/MWNTs. It is observed that mixed conducting nanoporous network of MWNTs/PEDOT?CPSS composite structure promotes the catalytic activity of Pt by enhancing catalyst utilization.     

Large electrocaloric effect with ultrawide temperature span in Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3-based lead-free ceramics

Innovative cooling technologies are recognized by many industries as a crucial part of their system design. A large electrocaloric effect (ECE) and extended working temperature are the key issues hindering the realization of electrocaloric refrigeration technology. In this work, large ECE (ΔT = 0.8–0.9°C @ 4 kV/mm) with an ultrawide temperature span from 30 to 120°C is noted for lead-free (Na_1/2Bi_1/2)_0.80Sr_0.20(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)_xTi_1-xO₃ ceramics. The excellent ECE performance can be ascribed to the evolution of polar nanoregions. Our work suggests that this material is promising for applications in solid-state refrigeration systems with a broad range of operating temperatures.     

A single active site mutation inverts stereoselectivity of 16-hydroxylation of testosterone catalyzed by engineered cytochrome P450 BM3

Inversion of stereoselectivity: screening of a minimal mutant library revealed a cytochrome P450?BM3 variant M01?A82W?S72I capable of producing 16?α-OH-testosterone. Remarkably, a single active site mutation S72I in M01?A82W inverted the stereoselectivity of hydroxylation from 16?β to 16?α. Introduction of S72I mutation in another 16?β-OH-selective variant M11?V87I, also resulted in similar inversion of stereoselectivity.     

Thermal depolarization and electromechanical hardening in Zn2+-doped Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3-BaTiO3

Na_1/2Bi_1/2TiO₃-based materials have been earmarked for one of the first large-volume applications of lead-free piezoceramics in high-power ultrasonics. Zn²⁺-doping is demonstrated as a viable route to enhance the thermal depolarization temperature and electromechanically harden (1-y)Na_1/2Bi_1/2TiO₃-yBaTiO₃ (NBT100yBT) with a maximum achievable operating temperature of 150 °C and mechanical quality factor of 627 for 1 mole % Zn²⁺-doped NBT6BT. Although quenching from sintering temperatures has been recently touted to enhance T_F-R, with quenching the doped compositions featuring an additional increase in T_F-R by 17 °C, it exhibits negligible effect on the electromechanical properties. The effect is rationalized considering the missing influence on conductivity and therefore, negligible changes in the defect chemistry upon quenching. High-resolution diffraction indicates that Zn²⁺-doped samples favor the tetragonal phase with enhanced lattice distortion, further corroborated by ²³Na Nuclear Magnetic Resonance investigations.     

Grain orientation and anisotropy in the physical properties of SrBi2(Nb1 − x V x )2O9 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) ceramics

SrBi₂(Nb_{1 – x} V _x )₂O₉ (0 x 0.3 in molar ratio) ceramics have been fabricated via conventional sintering at elevated temperatures. Interestingly sintering the pellets in the 1320–1470 K temperature range yielded partially grain oriented ceramics. The orientation factor (f) monitored via X-ray powder diffraction studies was found to increase with increasing V₂O₅ content and reached 83% for x = 0.3. The increment in (f) was not that significant with increase in sintering temperature and its duration. The microstructural studies suggest that V₂O₅ has a truncating effect on the abnormal platy growth of SBN grains. The dielectric constant (_r) and loss (D) measurements as functions of both temperature and V₂O₅ content have been carried out along the directions parallel (_rp) and perpendicular (_rn) to the cold pressing axis of the pellet. The anisotropy (_rn/_rp) associated with _r was found to be 1.11 at 300 K and 2.1 at the Curie temperature, (T _c) respectively. Different dielectric mixture formulae that were employed to analyze the effective dielectric constants of these samples with varying porosity confirmed that the experimental value of _r was comparable with that obtained using Wiener's formula. Impedance spectroscopy was employed to rationalize the electrical behavior of these ceramics. The pyroelectric coefficients along the directions parallel and perpendicular to the pressing axis of the grain oriented (83%) SBN ceramic at 300 K were 0.13145 mC/m²K and 0.26291 mC/m²K respectively. The ferroelectric properties of these grain-oriented ceramics were better in the direction perpendicular to the pressing axis than those in the parallel direction.     

Emission factors of carbon monoxide and size-resolved aerosols from biofuel combustion

This study reports emission factors of carbon monoxide and size-resolved aerosols from combustion of wood, dung cake, and biofuel briquette in traditional and improved stoves in India. Wood was the cleanest burning fuel, with higher emissions of CO from dung cake and particulate matter from both dung cake and briquette fuels. Combustion of dung cake, especially in an improved metal stove, resulted in extremely high pollutant emissions. Instead, biogas from anaerobic dung digestion should be promoted as a cooking fuel for public health protection. Pollutant emissions increased with increasing stove thermal efficiency, implying that thermal efficiency enhancement in the improved stoves was mainly from design features leading to increased heat transfer but not combustion efficiency. Compared to the traditional stove, the improved stoves resulted in the lower pollutant emissions on a kW h-1 basis from wood combustion but in similar emissions from briquette and dung cake. Stove designs are needed with good emissions performance across multiple fuels. Unimodal aerosol size distributions were measured from biofuel combustion with mass median aerodynamic diameters of 0.5-0.8 micron, about a factor of 10 larger than those from fossil fuel combustion (e.g. diesel), with potential implications for lung deposition and health risk.