Impact of particles tracking model of nanofluid on forced convection heat transfer within a wavy horizontal channel

Development of modern heat exchangers or solar collectors is related to the analysis of working fluid flow and heat transfer within different channels. The energy transport enhancement can be reached by including nanofluids as working media and irregular channels to intensify the heat removal. The present research is devoted to computational analysis of nanosuspension forced convection in a horizontal wavy channel under the impact of heating from the upper wavy surface. The single-phase nanofluid approach with experimentally-based correlations for viscosity and thermal conductivity holds implemented for an investigation in combination with Newton's second law for the description of the motion of the nanoparticle within the channel. The formulated boundary-value problem has been worked out by the finite element technique. Rules of Reynolds number, number of channel waviness, and dimensionless time on nanoliquid flow, energy transport and nanoparticles motion within the channel as well as average parameters. It has occurred that a rise from Reynolds number characterizes a narrowing of the fluid tube within the channel with an improvement of the average velocity and average Nusselt number. Augmentation of the channel waviness number results in an increment of the average particles velocity and average temperature

Exploring IKKβ as an anti-metastatic therapeutic target in KRAS-induced lung câncer

O câncer de pulmão é o tipo de câncer que apresenta o maior índice de mortalidade em todo o mundo. As alterações genéticas mais frequentes em câncer de pulmão são as mutações pontuais no oncogene que codifica a GTPase KRAS. Apesar destas mutações estarem diretamente ligadas à oncogênese, terapias que visam inibir diretamente a proteína Ras falharam em ensaios clínicos. Uma das propriedades mais importantes na oncogênese é a aquisição de capacidade metastática tumoral. Desta forma, o objetivo deste projeto é identificar alvos terapêuticos que inibam as metástases tumorais induzidas pelo oncogene KRAS no pulmão. Com base em relatos recentes mostrando que a forma oncogênica de KRAS promove, não só a iniciação tumoral, mas também promove a aquisição de um fenótipo metastático, a hipótese deste projeto é que (1) a capacidade mestastática tumoral induzida por KRAS no pulmão é potencializada pela quinase IKKβ; e (2) que a inibição desta quinase reduzirá a capacidade invasiva celular e metastática tumoral. Esta hipótese foi formulada com base em estudos anteriores, os quais demonstraram que o principal substrato da IKKβ, o fator de transcrição NF-κB, é ativado por KRAS em tumores pulmonares in situ de forma dependente da IKKβ, que o NF-κB é capaz de promover metástase em diferentes modelos tumorais, e que a inibição da atividade da IKKβ com um inibidor farmacológico em um modelo animal de câncer de pulmão induzido por KRAS, diminui o crescimento tumoral e a progressão tumoral para graus histológicos mais avançados. Nosso objetivo era avaliar se a inibição de IKKβ é capaz de afetar a migração e invasão de células portadoras de mutação em KRAS in vitro e se a inibição de IKKβ é capaz de afetar a capacidade metatática dessas células in vivo. Primeiramente, avaliamos a expressão de enzimas relacionadas ao fenótipo metastático, as metaloproteinases de matriz 2 e 9 (MMP-2 e MMP-9) e, também uma molécula intimamente relacionada ao processo de adesão mediado por integrinas, FAK (quinase de adesão focal), frente a inibição de IKKβ através de um inibidor farmacológico altamente especifico (Composto A) e frente a inibição genética de IKKβ por interferência de RNA (siRNA) em células A549 e H358. Avaliamos também a atividade das MMPs frente inibição genética de KRAS (siKRAS) e IKKβ (siIKKβ) e vimos que IKKβ parece modular a expressão ou atividade de MMP-9 e reduz a expressão de FAK. Já a expressão de MMP-2 não apresentou alteração. Posteriormente avaliamos migração na célula A549 e invasão nas células A549 e H358 com inibição de IKKβ, por ensaios Transwell, e observamos uma redução da migração e invasão celular in vitro. Em seguida, fomos gerar linhagens celulares paraa expressar luciferase, as linhagens A549 pLUC e H358 pLUC. Os clones A549 pLUC B4 e H358 pLUC F1 com inibição de KRAS e IKKβ por interferência de RNA, foram injetados pela veia da cauda nesses camundongos e as metástases foram monitoradas por imageamento in vivo. Houve metástases em 20% dos animais com siIKKβ na região anatômica da boca. Os animais que receberam siControle e siKRAS não apresentaram nenhuma metástase visível no equipamento, mas foi observado micrometástases nas análises histológicas dos pulmões. O resultado do experimento de metástase in vivo é inesperado, não só pelo fato de ocorrer no grupo experimental siIKKβ, mas também pelo local anatômico do tumor, sendo necessária uma maior investigação do papel de IKKβ nesse processo, podendo ser um resultado aleatório. Quando avaliamos em conjunto, nossos resultados sugerem que a quinase IKKβ desempenha um papel importante no fenótipo migratório e invasivo de células pulmonares portadoras de KRAS oncogênica, contribuindo para a capacidade metastática.Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The most frequent genetic changes found in lung cancer are driver mutations in the KRAS proto-oncogene. Even though KRAS mutations have been causally linked to the oncogenic process, therapies targeted to oncogenic RAS have failed in clinical trials. One of the main characteristics in oncogenesis is the ability of tumors to acquire metastatic capability. The objective of this project is to identify therapeutic targets that reduce KRASinduced lung cancer metastasis. Based on previous reports that oncogenic KRAS, drives not only tumor initiation, but also promotes a metastatic phenotype, the hypothesis of this project is that (1) the acquisition of metastatic ability induced by KRAS in the lung is potentiated by the IKK kinase; and (2) that IKKβ inhibition will reduce KRAS-induced cell invasive properties and KRAS-induced tumor metastasis. This hypothesis has been formulated on the basis of previous studies showing that the main IKKβ substrate, the transcription factor NF-κB, is activated by KRAS in lung tumors in situ in an IKKβ-dependent manner, that NF-κB is known to promote metastasis in different tumor models, and that pharmacological IKKβ inhibition in a KRAS-induced lung cancer mouse model reduces tumor growth and progression to higher histological tumor grades. Our goal was evaluate how inhibition of IKKβ affects migration and invasion of KRAS-positive lung cells in vitro and whether inhibition of IKKβ is capable of affecting the metatactic capacity of these cells in vivo. First, we evaluated the expression of enzymes involved in the metastatic phenotype, matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) and also a molecule involved in the integrinmediated adhesion, FAK (focal adhesion kinase), we targeted IKKβ by a highly specific IKK inhibitor (Compound A) or with RNA interference in A549 and H358 cells. We also used colorimetric Matrix Biotrak Activity Assay System to measure the activity of MMPs with RNA interference for KRAS (siKRAS) and IKKβ (IKKβ) and we have seen that IKKβ appears to modulate the expression or activity of MMP-9 and decreases the expression of FAK. The expression of MMP-2 did not change. Then we evaluated migration in A549 cell and invasion in A549 and H358 cells with inhibition of IKK by RNA interference or with Compound A treatment in Transwell assays, and observed a significantly reduced cell migration and invasion in vitro. We then generated cell lines to express luciferase, the A549 pLUC and H358 pLUC lines. A549 pLUC B4 and H358 pLUC F1 cells with RNA interference for KRAS and IKKβ were injected in the tail vein in nude (balb/c) mice and metastases were monitored by in vivo imaging. There were metastases in 20% of IKKβ animals in the anatomical region of the mouth. Animals that received siControl and siKRAS had no visible metastasis in the live imaging, but micrometastases were observed in the histological analyzes of the lungs. The result of this experiment is unexpected, not only due to the fact that it occurs in the IKKβ experimental group, but also due to the anatomical site of the tumor, and a further investigation of the role of IKKβ in this process, can be a random result. When evaluated together, our results suggest that the IKKβ kinase plays an important role in the migratory and invasive phenotype of in KRAS positive lung cancer cells, contributing to metastatic capacity

Numerical investigation of natural convection of Al2O3-water nanofluid in a wavy cavity with conductive inner block using Buongiorno's two-phase model

By employing the finite element method, thermophoresis and Brownian diffusion are studied numeri-cally relating to the natural convection in a wavy cavity that is filled with an Al2O3-water nanofluid pos-sessing a central heat-conducting solid block that is influenced by the local heater located on the bottomwall. An isothermal condition is established in the two wavy vertical walls, while adiabatic condition isfor the top horizontal wall. Partial heating is applied to the bottom of the horizontal wall, while theremaining part remains in the adiabatic condition. Empirical correlations are employed for the thermalconductivity and dynamic viscosity of the nanofluid. The number of oscillations (16N<4), Rayleighnumber (1036Ra<106), nanoparticles volume fraction (06/<0:04) and dimensionless length ofthe bottom heater (0:26H60:8) govern the parameters in this study. The grid independency test, aswell as experimental and numerical data from other published works, was employed to validate thedeveloped computational code comprehensively. Based on the obtained results, it was found that theheat transfer inside the cavity is enhanced by introducing nanoparticles as well as a selection of optimalnumber of oscillations

Forced convection of turbulent flow into the wavy parallel channel

The energy transport enhancement is a topical problem for many engineering applications. One of the possible solutions to this problem is an improvement of the heat transfer surface. The present investigation is devoted to numerical simulation regarding turbulent forced convective energy transport inside a curved channel under the isothermal heating from the upper wavy wall and cooling from the inlet section. The governing partial differential equations written using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes formulation including the standard approach have been solved numerically by the finite-element procedure. Impacts of the Reynolds number, undulations number and undulations amplitude toward fluid motion and energy transport have been scrutinized. With the undulations number, a significant energy carrier condensation has been detected

Numerical Investigation of Mixed Convection and Entropy Generation in a Wavy-Walled Cavity Filled with Nanofluid and Involving a Rotating Cylinder

This numerical study considers the mixed convection and the inherent entropy generated in Al 2 O 3 –water nanofluid filling a cavity containing a rotating conductive cylinder. The vertical walls of the cavity are wavy and are cooled isothermally. The horizontal walls are thermally insulated, except for a heat source segment located at the bottom wall. The dimensionless governing equations subject to the selected boundary conditions are solved numerically using the Galerkin finite-element method. The study is accomplished by inspecting different ranges of the physical and geometrical parameters, namely, the Rayleigh number ( 10 3 ≤ R a ≤ 10 6 ), angular rotational velocity ( 0 ≤ Ω ≤ 750 ), number of undulations ( 0 ≤ N ≤ 4 ), volume fraction of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles ( 0 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.04 ), and the length of the heat source ( 0.2 ≤ H ≤ 0.8 ) . The results show that the rotation of the cylinder boosts the rate of heat exchange when the Rayleigh number is less than 5 × 10 5 . The number of undulations affects the average Nusselt number for a still cylinder. The rate of heat exchange increases with the volume fraction of the Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles and the length of the heater segment

Experimental investigation of a solar evacuated tube collector embedded with a heat pipe using different nanofluids and controlled mechanical exciting pulsations

Numerous studies have been conducted to enhance the thermal performance of evacuated tube solar thermal collectors using various techniques, such as different working fluids, concentrators, and modifications to the absorber design. This work presents a parametric study to improve the thermal performance of a solar-evacuated tube collector embedded with a heat pipe (SETCHP) by utilizing different types of nanofluids and controlled mechanical excitation. The experiment involved six identical SETCHPs operating under the same conditions, with one setup filled with pure acetone as a reference. The second and third setups were filled with (0.5% vol Al2O3)/based acetone and (0.5% vol CuO)/based acetone, respectively. The remaining three setups were modified by imposing controlled mechanical excitation with different frequencies (27–82 Hz) to investigate the effect of vibration on thermal performance. The results demonstrated that the optimal enhancement was achieved with mechanical vibration pulses at 82 Hz, improving efficiency by 91% and 86% with Al2O3/based acetone and CuO/based acetone, respectively. The enhancement percentage of effective heat transfer coefficient (EHTC) and convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) varied with solar intensity and vibration, with improvements ranging from 5 to 82% and 3–53%, 26–160% and 5–60%, and 6.5–140% and 6.5–54% for pure acetone, Al2O3, and CuO (0.5% vol) acetone-based nanofluids, respectively

Entropy Generation and Mixed Convection of a Nanofluid in a 3D Wave Tank with Rotating Inner Cylinder

The generation of entropy and mixed convection in a nanofluid-filled 3D wavy tank containing a rotating cylinder is investigated. The top wavy surface of the tank is heated and all vertical surfaces are assumed to be adiabatic, while the bottom horizontal surface remains isothermally cold. The tank contains a solid cylinder and is saturated with an Al2O3–water nanofluid. The numerical simulations using the FEM are performed for the Richardson number (0.01≤Ri≤100), nanoparticle volume fraction (0≤ϕ≤0.04) and number of oscillations (0≤N≤4). The numerical results of the present work are given in terms of 3D streamlines, isotherms and local entropy generation, as well as average heat transfer and Bejan number. The results show that for low values of the Richardson number and oscillation, heat transfer enhancement can be achieved by increasing the nanoparticle volume fraction

Numerical investigation of heat transfer augmentation of solar air heater with attached and detached trapezoidal ribs

The solar air heater has a low heat transfer coefficient due to the development of a laminar sublayer inside the channel of the solar collector. Adding artificial roughness or ribs to the surface of the wall of the absorber plate is an effective and promising method to increase heat transfer by interrupting the laminar sublayer. In this study, a trapezoidal rib was used to enhance the thermal performance of the solar air heater. The characteristics of flow and heat transfer were numerically analyzed using a RNG k-ɛ turbulent model based on the Reynolds number range of 5000, 10000, 15000, 20000, 25000, and 30000. Eight different types of trapezoidal ribs, arranged in shapes that increase in height towards or against the direction of flow, were studied. Four case studies included a solar collector with attached trapezoidal ribs, while another four case studies included a solar collector with detached trapezoidal ribs. The current research involved validation of the results compared to the previously obtained results and showed good acceptable agreement. The results demonstrated that the best thermal performance ratio of the solar collector was achieved when the ribs were attached and detached to the inner surface of a wall, with an increase in the height of the trapezoidal ribs in the opposite direction of the airflow for all ribs. However, these cases resulted in the highest coefficient of friction ratio. On the other hand, the thermal performance was at its lowest level in the cases where the increase in the height of the attached or detached trapezoidal ribs is in the direction of the airflow