Prediction of the bed-load transport by gas–liquid stratified flows in horizontal ducts

Solid particles can be transported as a mobile granular bed, known as bed-load, by pressure-driven flows. A common case in industry is the presence of bed-load in stratified gas–liquid flows in horizontal ducts. In this case, an initially flat granular bed may be unstable, generating ripples and dunes. This three-phase flow, although complex, can be modeled under some simplifying assumptions. This paper presents a model for the estimation of some bed-load characteristics. Based on parameters easily measurable in industry, the model can predict the local bed-load flow rates and the celerity and the wavelength of instabilities appearing on the granular bed.     

Context-Aware Routing in Delay and Disruption Tolerant Networks

In this paper, we analyze the problem of context adaptation in delay and disruption tolerant networks (DTNs). Initially, we performed experiments with well-known routing protocols to evaluate how much distinct configurations impact their performance. The results show that the performance is highly configuration dependent and improper configuration can lead to a performance up to 506.6 % worse than the best configuration tested. This motivates us to propose CARTOON (context-aware routing protocol for opportunistic networks), a novel routing protocol for DTNs based on the concept of context-adaptation. We evaluate CARTOON through simulations and the results show that our propose outperformed other well-known protocols, exhibiting results that are, on average, at 95 % of the computed optimum delivery rate.     

An Ultraflexible and Stretchable Aptameric Graphene Nanosensor for Biomarker Detection and Monitoring

An ultraflexible and stretchable field‐effect transistor nanosensor is presented that uses aptamer‐functionalized monolayer graphene as the conducting channel. Specific binding of the aptamer with the target biomarker induces a change in the carrier concentration of the graphene, which is measured to determine the biomarker concentration. Based on a Mylar substrate that is only 2.5‐µm thick, the nanosensor is capable of conforming to underlying surfaces (e.g., those of human tissue or skin) that undergo large bending, twisting, and stretching deformations. In experimental testing, the device is rolled on cylindrical surfaces with radii down to 40 µm, twisted by angles ranging from ?180° to 180°, or stretched by extensions up to 125%. With these large deformations applied either cyclically or non‐recurrently, the device is shown to incur no visible mechanical damage, maintain consistent electrical properties, and allow detection of TNF‐α, an inflammatory cytokine biomarker, with consistently high selectivity and low limit of detection (down to 5 × 10^?12 m ). The nanosensor can thus potentially enable consistent and reliable detection of liquid‐borne biomarkers on human skin or tissue surfaces that undergo large mechanical deformations.     

Rapid analysis of lignans from leaves of Podophyllum peltatum L. samples using UPLC‐UV‐MS

A new rapid UPLC‐UV‐MS method has been developed that permits the analysis of four lignans (4′‐O‐demethylpodophyllotoxin, podophyllotoxin, α‐peltatin and β‐peltatin) in P. peltatum L. Podophyllotoxin is a natural lignan that is being used as a precursor for the semi‐synthetic anti‐cancer drugs etoposide, teniposide and etopophos. The chromatographic separation was achieved using a reversed‐phase C₁₈ column with a mobile phase of water and acetonitrile, both containing 0.05% formic acid. Analyses of P. peltatum leaves collected from different colonies within a single site indicated a significant variation in 4′‐O‐demethylpodophyllotoxin, α‐peltatin, podophyllotoxin and β‐peltatin content. Within 3.0 min four main lignans could be separated with detection limits of 0.1, 0.3, 0.3 and 0.2 μg/mL, respectively. 4′‐O‐demethylpodophyllotoxin and α‐peltatin appeared most prominently among the lignans obtained. The podophyllotoxin content was found in the range of 0.004–0.77% from 16 samples collected from 6 colonies within the same site. The content of podophyllotoxin is directly proportional to the content of 4′‐O‐demethylpodophyllotoxin and inversely proportional to α‐peltatin and β‐peltatin content. LC‐mass spectrometry coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) interface method is described for the identification of four lignans in various populations of plant samples. By applying principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, Podophyllum samples collected from various colonies within a location were distinguished. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arched beams of Bresse type: observability and application in thermoelasticity

Nonlinear Dynamics - This is the first paper of a trilogy intended by the authors in what concerns a unified approach to the stability of thermoelastic arched beams of Bresse type under...     

An analysis of the fees and pending time correlation in Ethereum

Ethereum is a new blockchain-based platform that is also capable of running smart contracts. Despite its increasing popularity, there is a lack of studies on characterizing this system, in special the fees paid by users and the respective delay to confirm the transactions, that is, the pending time. In this sense, we study the main features of Ethereum transactions and evaluate the common belief—for blockchain systems that rely on proof of work—that users who pay higher fees will have their transactions confirmed faster. Specifically, we collect information about 7.2 million of transactions in Ethereum and correlate their pending time to several fee-related features. Moreover, we conduct our study evaluating different ranges of values for the features, such as default and unusual values adopted by users as well as clusters of users with similar behaviors. Our empirical analysis shows strong evidence that there is no clear correlation between fees-related features and the pending time. Overall, we conclude from our investigation that transaction's features, including gas and gas price defined by users, cannot determine the pending time of transactions.     

A new restricted access molecularly imprinted polymer capped with albumin for direct extraction of drugs from biological matrices: the case of chlorpromazine in human plasma

A new restricted access molecularly imprinted polymer coated with bovine serum albumin (RAMIP-BSA) was developed, characterized, and used for direct analysis of chlorpromazine in human plasma samples. The RAMIP-BSA was synthesized using chlorpromazine, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as template, functional monomer, and cross-linker, respectively. Glycerol dimethacrylate and hydroxy methyl methacrylate were used to promote a hydrophilic surface (high density of hydroxyl groups). Afterward, the polymer was coated with BSA using glutaraldehyde as cross-linker, resulting in a protein chemical shield around it. The material was able to eliminate ca. 99 % of protein when a 44-mg mL^?1 BSA aqueous solution was passed through it. The RAMIP-BSA was packed in a column and used for direct analysis of chlorpromazine in human plasma samples in an online column switching high-performance liquid chromatography system. The analytical calibration curve was prepared in a pool of human plasma samples with chlorpromazine concentrations ranging from 30 to 350 μg L^?1. The correlation coefficient obtained was 0.995 and the limit of quantification was 30 μg L^?1. Intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy presented variation coefficients and relative errors lower than 15 % and within ?15 and 15 %, respectively. The sample throughput was 3 h^?1 (sample preparation and chromatographic analysis steps) and the same RAMIP-BSA column was efficiently used for about 90 cycles.     

Production of cyclodextrins in a fluidized-bed reactor using cyclodextrin-glycosyl-transferase

Cyclodextrin-glycosyl-transferase (EC2.4.1.19), produced by Wacker (Munich, Germany), was purified by biospecific affinity chromatography with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as ligand, and immobilized into controlled pore silica particles (0.42 mm). This immobilized enzyme (IE) had 4.7 mg of protein/g of support and a specific activity of 8.6 μmol of β-CD/(min·g_IF) at 50°C, pH 8.0. It was used in a fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) at the same conditions for producing cyclodextrins (CDs) with 10% (w/v) maltodextrin solution as substrate. Bed expansion was modeled by the Richardson and Zaki equation, giving a good fit in two distin ctranges of bed porosities. The minimum fluidization velocity was 0.045 cm/s, the bed expansion coefficient was 3.98, and the particle terminal velocity was 2.4 cm/s. The FBR achieved high productivity, reaching in only 4 min of residence time the same amount of CDs normally achieved in a batch reactor with free enzyme after 24h of reaction, namely, 10.4 mM β-CD and 2.3 mM γ-CD.     

Influence of electron-phonon interaction on soliton mediated spin-charge conversion effects in two-component polymer model

By mapping a Hubbard-like model describing a two-component polymer in the presence of strong enough electron-phonon interactions (κ) onto the system of two coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with U(2) symmetry group, some nontrivial correlations between topological solitons mediated charge Q and spin S degrees of freedom are obtained. Namely, in addition to a charge fractionalization and reentrant like behavior of both Q(κ) and S(κ), the model also predicts a decrease of soliton velocity with κ as well as spin-charge conversion effects which manifest themselves through an explicit S(Q,Ω) dependence (with Ω being a mixing angle between spin-up and spin-down electron amplitudes). A possibility to observe the predicted effects in low-dimensional systems with charge and spin soliton carriers is discussed.