Monitoring and Quantifying the Passive Transport of Molecules Through Patch–Clamp Suspended Real and Model Cell Membranes

Transport of active molecules across biological membranes is a central issue for the success of many pharmaceutical strategies. Herein, we combine the patch–clamp principle with amperometric detection for monitoring fluxes of redox‐tagged molecular species across a suspended membrane patched from a macrophage. Solvent‐ and protein‐free lipid bilayers (DPhPC, DOPC, DOPG) patched from single‐wall GUV have been thoroughly investigated and the corresponding fluxes measurements quantified. The quality of the patches and their proper sealing were successfully characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This procedure appears versatile and perfectly adequate to allow the investigation of transport and quantification of the transport properties through direct measurement of the coefficients of partition and diffusion of the compound in the membrane, thus offering insight on such important biological and pharmacological issues.     

Mechanical properties and molecular structures of virgin and recycled HDPE polymers used in gravity sewer systems

The widespread use of plastics in the conditioning, packaging and building material sectors generates an enormous amount of industrial waste which could be recycled for wastewater pipes and fittings. Nevertheless, current manufacturing standards in the piping industry recommend against the use of post-consumer recycled materials—a policy based on inadequate understanding of the properties and long-term mechanical performance of recycled materials. The present study compared the material characteristics of virgin and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastics commonly found in the piping industry. Mechanical testing, oxidative induction time (OIT), melt flow index (MFI) and thermal analysis were used in conjunction with X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), size exclusion chromatography and ¹³C solid-state NMR to evaluate mechanical behavior and molecular structure as well as contaminant or filler contents. This study provides evidence for the degradation processes impact that can occur when post-industrial and post-consumer polymers are recycled. However, the study identified two measures to improve the material qualities of post-consumer recycled HDPE: 1) reducing the amount of contaminants or, alternatively, improving their compatibility with HDPE resins, and 2) improving current sorting and recycling processes to increase the amount of tie molecules in HDPE materials.     

Composite power law holdup correlations in horizontal pipes

A wide range of experimental holdup data, from different sources, are analyzed based on a theoretical model proposed in this work to evaluate the holdup in horizontal pipes. 2276 gas–liquid flow experiments in horizontal pipelines with a wide range of operational conditions and fluid properties are included in the database. The experiments are classified by mixture Reynolds number ranges and composite analytical expressions for the relationship between the liquid holdup and no-slip liquid holdup vs. the gas–liquid volumetric flow rate are obtained by fitting the data with logistic dose curves. The Reynolds number appropriate to classify the experimental data for gas–liquid flows in horizontal pipes is based on the mixture velocity and the liquid kinematic viscosity. Composite power law holdup correlations for flows sorted by flow pattern are also obtained. Error estimates for the predicted vs. measured holdup correlations together with standard deviation for each correlation are presented. The accuracy of the correlations developed in this study is compared with the accuracy of 26 previous correlations and models in the literature. Our correlations predict the liquid holdup in horizontal pipes with much greater accuracy than those presented by previous authors.     

An analytical solution to non-axisymmetric heat transfer with viscous dissipation for non-Newtonian fluids in laminar forced flow

Forced convection heat transfer in a non-Newtonian fluid flow inside a pipe whose external surface is subjected to non-axisymmetric heat loads is investigated analytically. Fully developed laminar velocity distributions obtained by a power-law fluid rheology model are used, and viscous dissipation is taken into account. The effect of axial heat conduction is considered negligible. The physical properties are assumed to be constant. We consider that the smooth change in the velocity distribution inside the pipe is piecewise constant. The theoretical analysis of the heat transfer is performed by using an integral transform technique – Vodicka’s method. An important feature of this approach is that it permits an arbitrary distribution of the surrounding medium temperature and an arbitrary velocity distribution of the fluid. This technique is verified by a comparison with the existing results. The effects of the Brinkman number and rheological properties on the distribution of the local Nusselt number are shown.     

Mechanism of interaction of pressure waves at a discrete partial blockage

This paper analyses the mechanism of interaction between an incident pressure wave and blockages of different geometrical characteristics (i.e., a butterfly and a ball valves, two short stretches of pipe with a reduced diameter, and a device simulating a longitudinal body blockage) by means of laboratory and numerical tests. Experiments have shown that the mechanism of interaction with pressure waves is influenced by their path through the device: sinuous because of the device body for partially closed in-line valves (type I mechanism), and straight for the small bore pipe devices (type II mechanism). Type I mechanism is characterized by a rise followed by an almost constant value whereas in type II one a drop occurs after the rise. To complete the investigation the effect of the pre-transient condition is discussed.     

Intermittency as a transition to turbulence in pipes: A long tradition from Reynolds to the 21st century

Intermittencies are commonly observed in fluid mechanics, and particularly, in pipe flows. Initially observed by Reynolds (1883), it took one century for reaching a rather full understanding of this phenomenon whose irregular dynamics (apparently stochastic) puzzled hydrodynamicists for decades. In this brief (non-exhaustive) review, mostly focused on the experimental characterization of this transition between laminar and turbulent regimes, we present some key contributions for evidencing the two concomittant and antagonist processes that are involved in this complex transition and were suggested by Reynolds. It is also shown that a clear explicative model was provided, based on the nonlinear dynamical systems theory, the experimental observations in fluid mechanics only providing an applied example, due to its obvious generic nature.     

电流变液在两平行电极板间流动行为的实验研究

通过实验的方法研究了电流变液流经两间距为１．１ｍｍ的平行电极板的流动行为，实验所观测到的由于电流变液在电场作用下非均匀固化所引起的固相颗粒淤积与饱和过程、河道分岔和失稳等现象，对现有的有关电流变阀均匀流动模型提出了质疑，这为进一步深入理解电流变液的力学行为，建立新的理论模型提供了实验依据     

宽平顶低横向场分量螺线管线圈设计

介绍了非均匀绕线技术和匀场环技术在螺线管线圈设计中的应用。分析表明这两种技术的采用可以减小线圈间隙的磁场波动、屏蔽线圈磁场的横向分量,从而设计出宽平顶低横向场分量的螺线管线圈。针对中国工程物理研究院12 MeV直线感应加速器螺旋管线圈的设计结果表明,非均匀绕线技术可以使线圈间隙处的轴向磁场波动减小约70%,匀场环的采用则能使线圈磁场的横向分量减小96.5%。     

夹持方式对KDP晶体三倍频转换效率的影响

针对压条固定方式、粘胶固定方式和全外围夹持方式进行理论建模和数值计算分析,并讨论了不同夹持方式的优缺点及其对KDP晶体面形和三倍频转换效率的影响。研究结果表明：晶体面形形变对高斯光束三倍频转换效率的影响明显小于平面波时的情况。当入射基频光光强为6 GW·cm-2时,对于平面波的情况,压条固定方式、粘胶固定方式和全外围夹持方式3种夹持方式相对于不考虑夹持作用时的三倍频转换效率分别减小7.5%,9.0%和7.2%;对于高斯光束的情况,三倍频转换效率分别减小了1.3%,1.0%和1.5%。