A nonlinear inverse problem for the prediction of local thermal contact conductance in plate finned-tube heat exchangers

A nonlinear inverse problem utilizing the Conjugate Gradient Method (CGM) of minimization is used successfully to estimate the temporally and circumferentially varying thermal contact conductance of a plate finned-tube heat exchanger by reading the simulated transient temperature measurement data from the thermocouples located on the plate. The thermal properties of the fin and tube are assumed to be functions of temperature, and this makes the problem nonlinear. It is assumed that no prior information is available on the functional form of the unknown thermal contact conductance in the present study, thus, it is classified as the function estimation in the inverse calculation. The accuracy of the inverse analysis is examined by using the simulated temperature measurements. Finally the inverse solutions with and without the consideration of temperature-dependent thermal properties are compared. Results show that when the nonlinear inverse calculations are performed an excellent estimation on the thermal contact conductance can be obtained with any arbitrary initial guesses within a couple of minute's CPU time on a HP-730 workstation.     

Vinyl‐Type Polymerization of Norbornene Dicarboxylic Acid Dialkyl Esters

Summary: Poly(cis‐norbornene‐exo‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid dialkyl esters) (alkyl = Me, Et, Pr, Bu, Pen, and Hex) are synthesized as a vinyl‐type with a palladium(II ) catalyst in high yield from easily prepared, pure exo‐monomers. The polymers show good solubility in common organic solvents and excellent thermal stability up to 330 °C. The polymers with alkyl groups larger than methyl exhibit a two‐step thermal degradation profile of an initial thermal degradation of side‐chains starting at 350 °C, followed by thermal degradation of the norbornene backbone starting at ca. 430 °C. The glass transition temperature decreases and the mechanical flexibility increases as the alkyl length of the side‐chain increases.

Normalized loss shear modulus (G″) versus temperature for polynorbornene dicarboxylic acid dialkyl esters.     

Off‐lattice Monte Carlo simulation of hyperbranched polymers, 1 Polycondensation of AB2 type monomers

The polycondensation of hyperbranched polymers, based on AB₂ type monomers, was simulated using an off‐lattice Monte Carlo method in order to investigate the polymerization kinetics and microstructures of hyperbranched polymers. The effects of temperature and activation energy of reaction on the conversion rate seem qualitatively acceptable, indicating that our simulation model properly describes the polymerization reaction of hyperbranched polymers. Number average degree of polymerization and polydispersity index were calculated as a function of conversion and compared with Flory's expectation. Fractions of dendritic, linear and terminal unit were also determined from simulation and compared with theoretical predictions. As the hyperbranched polymer grows, it is observed that the molecular shape changes from a regular fan‐shape structure to an edge‐curled up structure.     

Role of an unclassified Lachnospiraceae in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes: a longitudinal study of the urine microbiome and metabolites

Recent investigations have revealed that the human microbiome plays an essential role in the occurrence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, despite the importance of understanding the involvement of the microbiota throughout the body in T2D, most studies have focused specifically on the intestinal microbiota. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been recently found to provide important evidence regarding the mechanisms of T2D pathogenesis, as they act as key messengers between intestinal microorganisms and the host. Herein, we explored microorganisms potentially associated with T2D by tracking changes in microbiota-derived EVs from patient urine samples collected three times over four years. Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted to evaluate the causal relationships among microbial organisms, metabolites, and clinical measurements to provide a comprehensive view of how microbiota can influence T2D. We also analyzed EV-derived metagenomic (N = 393), clinical (N = 5032), genomic (N = 8842), and metabolite (N = 574) data from a prospective longitudinal Korean community-based cohort. Our data revealed that GU174097_g, an unclassified Lachnospiraceae, was associated with T2D (β = −189.13; p = 0.00006), and it was associated with the ketone bodies acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate (r = −0.0938 and −0.0829, respectively; p = 0.0022 and 0.0069, respectively). Furthermore, a causal relationship was identified between acetoacetate and HbA1c levels (β = 0.0002; p = 0.0154). GU174097_g reduced ketone body levels, thus decreasing HbA1c levels and the risk of T2D. Taken together, our findings indicate that GU174097_g may lower the risk of T2D by reducing ketone body levels.Subject terms: Bacterial genetics, Calcium and phosphate metabolic disorders     

The Luteolinidin and Petunidin 3-O-Glucoside: A Competitive Inhibitor of Tyrosinase

The enzyme tyrosinase plays a key role in the early stages of melanin biosynthesis. This study evaluated the inhibitory activity of anthocyanidin (1) and anthocyanins (2–6) on the catalytic reaction. Of the six derivatives examined, 1–3 showed inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 3.7 ± 0.1, 10.3 ± 1.0, and 41.3 ± 3.2 μM, respectively. Based on enzyme kinetics, 1–3 were confirmed to be competitive inhibitors with K_i values of 2.8, 9.0, and 51.9 μM, respectively. Molecular docking analysis revealed the formation of a binary encounter complex between 1–3 and the tyrosinase catalytic site. Luteolinidin (1) and petunidin 3-O-glucoside (2) may serve as tyrosinase inhibitors to block melanin production.     

Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Select Intermediates and Natural Products of the Desferrioxamine E Siderophore Pathway

The NIS synthetase family of enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of siderophores is increasingly associated with bacterial virulence. Proteins in this class represent outstanding potential drug targets, assuming that basic biochemical and structural characterizations can be completed. Towards this goal, we have mated an improved synthesis of the non-commercial amino acid N-hydroxy-N-succinylcadaverine (HSC, 6) with an isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assay that profiles the iterative stages of HSC trimerization and macrocyclization by NIS synthetase DesD from Streptomyces coelicolor. HSC synthesis begins with multigram-scale Gabrielle and tert-butyl N-(benzyloxy)carbamate alkylations of 1-bromo-5-chloropentane following prior literature, but the end-game reported herein has two advantages for greater material throughput: (1) hydrogenolysis of benzyl ether and Cbz blocking groups is best accomplished with Pearlman’s catalyst at 40 psi of H₂ and (2) purification of neutral (zwitterionic) HSC is effected by simple flash chromatography over silica gel in MeOH. HSC is subsequently shown to be a substrate for NIS synthetase DesD, which catalyzes three successive amide bond syntheses via adenyl monophosphate ester intermediates. We quantify and present the iterative and overall enzyme kinetic constants associated with formation of the cyclotrimeric siderophore desferrioxamine E (dfoE, 1).     

Efficient Synthesis of Aromatic Carboxylic Acids from Aryl Ketones in Ionic Liquid

Conversion of aryl ketones to the corresponding aromatic carboxylic acids has been achieved using sequential treatment of HDNIB and urea–hydrogen peroxide in [bmim]BF₄ ionic liquid.     

Selective atomic layer deposition of titanium oxide on patterned self-assembled monolayers formed by microcontact printing

We demonstrate a selective atomic layer deposition of TiO2 thin films on patterned alkylsiloxane self-assembled monolayers. Microcontact printing was done to prepare patterned monolayers of the alkylsiloxane on Si substrates. The patterned monolayers define and direct the selective deposition of the TiO2 thin film using atomic layer deposition. The selective atomic layer deposition is based on the fact that the TiO2 thin film is selectively deposited only on the regions exposing the silanol groups of the Si substrates because the regions covered with the alkylsiloxane monolayers do not have any functional group to react with precursors.     

Tandem facial amphiphiles for membrane protein stabilization

We describe a new type of synthetic amphiphile that is intended to support biochemical characterization of intrinsic membrane proteins. Members of this new family displayed favorable behavior with four of five membrane proteins tested, and these amphiphiles formed relatively small micelles.