A Role for Human Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells in Direct Allo-Recognition by CD4+ T-Cells and the Effect of Ischemia-Reperfusion

Direct allorecognition is the earliest and most potent immune response against a kidney allograft. Currently, it is thought that passenger donor professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are responsible. Further, many studies support that graft ischemia-reperfusion injury increases the probability of acute rejection. We evaluated the possible role of primary human proximal renal tubular epithelial cells (RPTECs) in direct allorecognition by CD4+ T-cells and the effect of anoxia-reoxygenation. In cell culture, we detected that RPTECs express all the required molecules for CD4+ T-cell activation (HLA-DR, CD80, and ICAM-1). Anoxia-reoxygenation decreased HLA-DR and CD80 but increased ICAM-1. Following this, RPTECs were co-cultured with alloreactive CD4+ T-cells. In T-cells, zeta chain phosphorylation and c-Myc increased, indicating activation of T-cell receptor and co-stimulation signal transduction pathways, respectively. T-cell proliferation assessed with bromodeoxyuridine assay and with the marker Ki-67 increased. Previous culture of RPTECs under anoxia raised all the above parameters in T-cells. FOXP3 remained unaffected in all cases, signifying that proliferating T-cells were not differentiated towards a regulatory phenotype. Our results support that direct allorecognition may be mediated by RPTECs even in the absence of donor-derived professional APCs. Also, ischemia-reperfusion injury of the graft may enhance the above capacity of RPTECs, increasing the possibility of acute rejection.     

Graphite Oxide and Aromatic Amines: Size Matters

Experimental and theoretical studies are performed in order to illuminate, for first time, the intercalation mechanism of polycyclic aromatic molecules into graphite oxide. Two representative molecules of this family, aniline and naphthalene amine are investigated. After intercalation, aniline molecules prefer to covalently connect to the graphene oxide matrix via chemical grafting, while napthalene amine molecules bind with the graphene oxide surface through π–π interactions. The presence of intercalated aromatic molecules between the graphene oxide layers is demonstrated by X‐ray diffraction, while the type of interaction between graphene oxide and polycyclic organic molecules is elucidated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical calculations describe the intercalation mechanism and the aniline grafting, rationalizing the experimental data. The present work opens new perspectives for the interaction of various aromatic molecules with graphite oxide and the so‐called “intercalation chemistry”.     

R-CURVE MODEL OF CERTAIN CERAMIC COMPOSITES

Abstract— The influence of crack-bridging on the R -curve for certain types of ceramic composites is modeled. Small scale bridging conditions are assumed. A recurrence procedure is used to solve the governing coupled integral equations, resulting in R -curves (stress intensity factor versus crack growth) that depend on well defined microstructural parameters. In addition, the bridging stresses and the crack opening diplacements were computed for all stages of the R -curve development. The numerical scheme is quite general and can be used for a variety of bridging laws. The convergence of the solution method is uniform, and the accuracy is a priori controlled. The results are normalized so that they can be applied for a large variety of composites with different micromechanical parameters. R -curves were computed for different bridiging laws, and were found to be sensitive to the specific bridging law used each time. Some strength-toughness relations are also discussed. The results are particularly suitable for slow crack growth analysis.     

Synergism of Toughening Mechanisms in Whisker-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

The improved fracture resistance of whisker-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites involves more than one energy-absorbing mechanism. The possible mechanisms are reviewed and a micromechanical model evaluating the relative contributions to the overall toughness is presented. The mechanisms involve microcracking, load transfer, bridging, and crack deflection. The synergism of these mechanisms is examined using an energy release rate balance equation. The basic assumption of the proposed model is that the load transfer between the matrix and the whiskers is due to Coulomb friction. The model has been applied to an Al₂O₃/SiC whisker composite and shows reasonable agreement with reported experimental results. The role of the thermal residual stresses is also examined in light of the frictional load transfer assumption.     

A higher-order unsplit-field perfectly matched layer for the reflectionless truncation of 3-D spherical FDTD lattices

An enhanced higher-order finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for the systematic implementation of 3-D reflectionless perfectly matched layers (PML) in spherical coordinates is presented. By establishing a topologically unsplit-field formulation, the novel technique introduces accurate nonstandard schemes that eliminate the notably intricate lattice dispersion errors. Moreover, the wider spatial increments are treated via self-adaptive compact operators, while a mesh expansion process yields a significant reduction of the absorber's depth. For the temporal variable, the proposed method employs a multistage leapfrog integration that guarantees stability and excitation universality. Hence, because of the optimal configuration of the new PML, it attains a critical annihilation of both propagating and spurious wave families, even for complicated domains. Numerical investigation verifies the superiority of the higher-order algorithm via several unbounded radiation and scattering spherical problems.     

Oxyfuel boiler design in a lignite-fired power plant

In the context of CO₂ capture and storage, the oxyfuel technology provides a promising option applicable in centralised power production schemes. This technology is based on combustion with pure oxygen instead of air and the flue gas mainly consists of CO₂ and H₂O. The work presented in this paper is focused in the application of the oxyfuel technology in a lignite-fired power plant. Significant design issues are the required extended flue gas recirculation in order to provide the ballasting effect of the absent N₂ and moderate the furnace temperatures. Therefore, a modified design of heat exchange surfaces of the oxyfuel steam boiler was formulated and was compared to a conventional air-fired boiler. A typical modern Greek air-fired power plant has been used as reference. The dominating factors that affect the dimensioning of the oxyfuel boiler are the higher radiative heat transfer - due to the high concentrations of CO₂ and H₂O in the flue gas - and the different flue gas mass flow, compared to a conventional air-fired boiler. For the determination of the thermodynamic cycle characteristics, simulations were made with the use of a thermodynamic cycle calculation software [Stamatelopoulos GN. Calculation and optimisation of power plant thermodynamic cycles, VDI-Regulations, Series 6, Nr. 340. Braunchweig, Mechanical Engineering Department; 1996 [in German]].     

Combining feature spaces for classification

In this paper we offer a variational Bayes approximation to the multinomial probit model for basis expansion and kernel combination. Our model is well-founded within a hierarchical Bayesian framework and is able to instructively combine available sources of information for multinomial classification. The proposed framework enables informative integration of possibly heterogeneous sources in a multitude of ways, from the simple summation of feature expansions to weighted product of kernels, and it is shown to match and in certain cases outperform the well-known ensemble learning approaches of combining individual classifiers. At the same time the approximation reduces considerably the CPU time and resources required with respect to both the ensemble learning methods and the full Markov chain Monte Carlo, Metropolis-Hastings within Gibbs solution of our model. We present our proposed framework together with extensive experimental studies on synthetic and benchmark datasets and also for the first time report a comparison between summation and product of individual kernels as possible different methods for constructing the composite kernel matrix.     

Quantifying the water–energy nexus in Greece

In this paper we provide an assessment of the water–energy nexus for Greece. More specifically, the amount of freshwater consumed per unit of energy produced is determined: for both conventional (lignite, diesel and fuel oil-fired) and advanced (combined operation of gas turbine) thermal power plants in the electricity generation sector; for extraction and refining activities in the primary energy production sector; and for the production of biodiesel that is used as a blend in the ultimately delivered automotive diesel fuel. In addition, the amount of electricity consumed for the purposes of water supply and sewerage is presented. In view of the expected effects of climate change in the Mediterranean region, the results of this study highlight the need for authorities to prepare a national strategy that will ensure climate resilience in both energy and water sectors of the country.     

The potential of WHR/batch and cullet preheating for energy efficiency in the EU ETS glass industry and the related energy incentives

The European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) covers approximately 45% of European greenhouse gases (GHGs), 11,000 stationary installations as well as aircraft operators. The EU ETS particularly affects the energy-intensive industries while it imposes a significant risk of “carbon leakage,” i.e., the risk of EU industry departing to countries with weaker restraints on GHG emissions. The EU glass industry, being capital intensive and also requiring long investment cycles, is the world’s largest glass producer with a market share close to one third of global production. Therefore, it is of significant importance to view the position of the EU ETS glass industry in terms of energy conservation possibilities. The present paper utilizes a vertical approach to provide information on both ETS market evolution and specific technical information to support technological innovation to the glass industry. EU ETS glass industry is analyzed regarding the balance between allocated European Union emission allowances (EUAs), verified CO₂ emissions, and potential shortfall in allowances so as to determine the situation of glass industries and the extent of urge for energy-saving activities towards the strengthening of their position within the requirements of the EU ETS phase III. The replication potential of waste heat recovery (WHR) through batch preheating is specifically addressed since it is considered a promising technology according to the latest Best Available Techniques (BAT) reference document for the glass industry under Directive IED 2010/75/EU. A case study for a container glass furnace based on simulation results is presented investigating the impact of different operating and design configurations on specific energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.