Comparison of the standard Euler-Euler and hybrid Euler-Lagrange approaches for modeling particle transport in a pilot-scale circulating fluidized bed

Particle transport phenomena in small-scale circulating fiuidized beds （CFB） can be simulated using the Euler-Euler, discrete element method, and Euler-Lagrange approaches. In this work, a hybrid Euler-Lagrange model known as the dense discrete phase model （DDPM）, which has common roots with the multiphase particle-in-cell model, was applied in simulating particle transport within a mid-sized experimental CFB facility. Implementation of the DDPM into the commercial ANSYS Fluent CFD package is relatively young in comparison with the granular Eulerian model. For that reason, validation of the DDPM approach against experimental data is still required and is addressed in this paper. Additional difficulties encountered in modeling fluidization processes are connected with long calculation times. To reduce times, the complete boiler models are simplified to include just the combustion chamber. Such simplifications introduce errors in the predicted solid distribution in the boiler. To investigate the conse- quences of model reduction, simulations were made using the simplified and complete pilot geometries and compared with experimental data. All simulations were performed using the ANSYSFLUENT 14.0 package. A set of user defined functions were used in the hybrid DDPM and Euler-Euler approaches to recirculate solid particles.     

The effect of point mutation on the equilibrium structural fluctuations of ferric Myoglobin

The ultrafast equilibrium fluctuations of the Fe(III)-NO complex of a single point mutation of Myoglobin (H64Q) have been studied using Fourier Transform 2D-IR spectroscopy. Comparison with data from wild type Myoglobin (wt-Mb) shows the presence of two conformational substates of the mutant haem pocket where only one exists in the wild type form. One of the substates of the mutant exhibits an almost identical NO stretching frequency and spectral diffusion dynamics to wt-Mb while the other is distinctly different in both respects. The remarkably contrasting dynamics are largely attributable to interactions between the NO ligand and a nearby distal side chain which provides a basis for understanding the roles of these side chains in other ferric haem proteins.     

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the diphoton decay channel with 4.9 fb(-1) of pp collision data at √s=7 TeV with ATLAS

A search for the standard model Higgs boson is performed in the diphoton decay channel. The data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s=7 TeV. In the diphoton mass range 110-150 GeV, the largest excess with respect to the background-only hypothesis is observed at 126.5 GeV, with a local significance of 2.8 standard deviations. Taking the look-elsewhere effect into account in the range 110-150 GeV, this significance becomes 1.5 standard deviations. The standard model Higgs boson is excluded at 95% confidence level in the mass ranges of 113-115 GeV and 134.5-136 GeV.     

Search for scalar bottom quark pair production with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=7 TeV

The results of a search for pair production of the scalar partners of bottom quarks in 2.05 fb(-1) of pp collisions at sqrt[s]=7 TeV using the ATLAS experiment are reported. Scalar bottom quarks are searched for in events with large missing transverse momentum and two jets in the final state, where both jets are identified as originating from a bottom quark. In an R-parity conserving minimal supersymmetric scenario, assuming that the scalar bottom quark decays exclusively into a bottom quark and a neutralino, 95% confidence-level upper limits are obtained in the b(1) - χ(1)(0) mass plane such that for neutralino masses below 60 GeV scalar bottom masses up to 390 GeV are excluded.     

Hematite nanoparticle monolayers on mica electrokinetic characteristics

Electrokinetic properties of α-Fe(2)O(3) (hematite) nanoparticle monolayers on mica were thoroughly characterized using the streaming potential method. Hematite suspensions were obtained by acidic hydrolysis of ferric chloride. The average size of particles (hydrodynamic diameter), determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and AFM, was 22nm (pH=5.5, I=10(-2)M). The hematite monolayers on mica were produced under diffusion-controlled transport from the suspensions of various bulk concentration. The monolayer coverage, quantitatively determined by AFM and SEM, was regulated within broad limits by adjusting the nanoparticle deposition time. This allowed one to uniquely express zeta potential of hematite monolayers, determined by the streaming potential measurements, in terms of the particle coverage. Such dependencies, obtained for various pH, were successfully interpreted in terms of the three-dimensional electrokinetic model. A universal calibrating graph was produced enabling one to determine hematite monolayer coverage from the measured value of the streaming potential. The influence of the ionic strength, varied between 10(-4) and 10(-2)M, on the zeta potential of hematite monolayers was also studied. Additionally, the stability of monolayers (desorption kinetics) was determined under in situ conditions using the streaming potential method. Our experimental data prove that it is feasible to produce uniform and stable hematite particle monolayers of well-controlled coverage. Such monolayers may find practical applications as universal substrates for protein immobilization (biosensors) and in electrocatalytic applications.     

Hematite nanoparticle monolayers on mica preparation by controlled self-assembly

In this research, a simple, green and effective strategy was developed to produce long-term stable oil in water emulsion from soy protein and soy polysaccharide. Soy protein and soy polysaccharide formed dispersible complexes at pH around 3.25 aqueous solution through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. A high pressure homogenization produced the protein/polysaccharide complex emulsion having a droplet size about 250 nm. A heat treatment of the emulsion resulted in the protein denaturation, forming irreversible oil-water interfacial films composed of soy protein/soy polysaccharide complexes. The droplets of the emulsion were characterized by dynamic light scattering, ζ-potential, transmission electron microscopy, polysaccharide digestion via pectinase, and confocal laser scanning microscopy observation via dual fluorescence probes. As a result of the polysaccharide being fixed on the droplet surface, the emulsions exhibited long-term stability in the media containing pH values of 2-8 and 0.2 mol/L NaCl. The stable soy protein/soy polysaccharide complex emulsion is a suitable food-grade delivery system in which lipophilic bioactive compounds can be encapsulated.     

Tuning properties of silver particle monolayers via controlled adsorption-desorption processes

Nanoparticle self-assembly at fluid-fluid interfaces has been traditionally exploited in emulsification, encapsulation and oil recovery, and more recently in emerging applications including functional nanomaterials and biphasic catalysis. We provide a review of the literature focusing on the open challenges that still hamper the broader applicability of this potentially transformative technology, and we outline strategies to achieve improved control over interfacial self-assembly of nanoparticles. First, we discuss means to promote spontaneous adsorption by tuning the interfacial energies of the nanoparticles with the fluids using capping ligands, and the occurrence of energy barriers. We then examine the interactions between interfacial nanoparticles and how they affect the formation of equilibrium interfacial suspensions versus non-equilibrium two-dimensional phases, such as weakly attractive glasses and gels. Important differences with colloidal interactions in a bulk suspension arise due to the discontinuity in solvent properties at the interface. For instance, ligand brushes rearrange in asymmetric configurations, and thus play a significant role in determining interparticle interactions. Finally, we briefly discuss the link between interfacial microstructure and the dynamic response of particle-laden interfaces, including interfacial rheology and the fate of nanoparticle monolayers upon out-of-plane deformation.     

Leptin in Human Milk—One of the Key Regulators of Nutritional Programming

Breast milk is the optimal food for infants and toddlers, providing basic nutrients. It is also a source of many biologically active substances. Among them are hormones responsible for metabolic balance. One of the hormones taken in with breast milk by a breastfed baby is leptin. This hormone is involved in the regulation of appetite, informing the brain about the body’s energy resources. Having the correct mechanisms related to the action of leptin is a factor reducing the risk of obesity. The natural presence of leptin in the composition of breast milk suggests that it has a specific role in shaping the health of a breastfed child. Obesity as a disease of civilization affects more and more people, including children. The development of this disease is multifaceted and determined by many factors, including genetic and environmental factors such as eating habits and low physical activity. Behind obesity, there are complex mechanisms in which many elements of the human body are involved. Understanding the effects of breastfeeding as a natural source of leptin can help prevent childhood obesity and development of this disease in future life.     

Calculation of electrostatic interaction forces between ellipsoidal particles

An analytical expression is presented for describing the electrostatic interaction forces between various shaped particles having mutual orientations. The expression is derived by applying the surface integration method, which is a generalization of the Derjaguin summation procedure. Based on previous theoretical considerations it is possible to calculate the electrostatic interaction force between regularly shaped bodies (both convex or concave in the vicinity of their contact point) by multiplying the interaction energy derived for paralled plates with the corresponding geometric factor. The forces acting between two equal shaped ellipsoids are described and discussed, considering three different limiting orientations, the parallel, the perpendicular, and the contact of the edges' orientation.     

Surface clusters of colloid particles produced by deposition on sites

The possibility of producing surface clusters of well-defined structure formed by colloid particles was analyzed theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical results were derived by performing Monte Carlo-type simulations according to the generalized random sequential adsorption (RSA) mechanism. In these simulations, the jamming coverage of particles adsorbing irreversibly on spherical sites was determined as a function of the particle-to-site size ratio lambda. It was revealed that, by properly choosing lambda, a targeted site coordination can be achieved; for example, there can be one, two, three, and so forth particles attached to one site. The structure of the heterogeneous clusters produced in this way was described in terms of the pair correlation function. It was predicted that the extent of ordering within surface clusters was diminished as the concentration of sites increased. These theoretical predictions were checked by performing deposition experiments of negatively charged polystyrene latex particles (average diameter 0.9 mum) under the diffusion-controlled transport regime. Mica sheets precovered by positively charged polystyrene latex (average diameters 0.45 and 0.95 microm) were used as the substrate surface in these experiments. Positive latex (site) deposition was also carried out under diffusion-controlled transport conditions. The concentration of the sites and the adsorbed particles was determined by direct particle counting using optical microscopy. It was found, in quantitative agreement with theoretical simulations, that the structure of surface clusters produced in this way exhibits a significant degree of short-range ordering. It also was proven experimentally that clusters containing a targeted number of colloid particles (e.g., 2 and 4) could be produced by the deposition procedure.