Can Water-Injected Turbomachines Provide Cost-Effective Emissions and Maintenance Reductions?

An investigation has been performed to evaluate the effect of water injection on the performance of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB)) experimental trapped vortex combustor (TVC) over a range of fuel-to-air and water-to-fuel ratios. Performance is characterized by combustor exit quantities: temperature and emissions measurements using rakes, and overall pressure drop, from upstream plenum to combustor exit. Combustor visualization is performed using gray-scale and color still photographs and high-frame-rate videos. A parallel investigation evaluated the performance of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool for the prediction of the reacting flow in a liquid fueled combustor (e.g., TVC) that uses water injection for control of pollutant emissions and turbine inlet temperature. Generally, reasonable agreement is found between data and NO(x) computations. Based on a study assessing the feasibility and performance impact of using water injection on a Boeing 747-400 aircraft to reduce NO(x) emissions during takeoff, retrofitting does not appear to be cost effective; however, an operator of a newly designed engine and airframe might be able to save up to 1.0 percent in operating costs. Other challenges of water injection will be discussed

Phycocyanobilin-modified β-lactoglobulin exhibits increased antioxidant properties and stability to digestion and heating

β-lactoglobulin (BLG) is a major whey protein with numerous techno-functional properties desirable for the food industry. Phycocyanobilin (PCB), a bioactive pigment of Arthrospira platensis with health-promoting effects, covalently binds to BLG at physiological pH. This study investigated the effects of this covalent modification on BLG functional properties. The BLG–PCB adduct possesses enhanced antioxidant properties, and bound PCB protects BLG against free radical-induced oxidation. Despite the similar thermal stabilities of BLG and BLG–PCB, BLG–PCB is less susceptible to covalent and noncovalent aggregation under moderate heat treatment (63 °C, 30 min). Blocked thiol group and reduced hydrophobicity due to hindering of hydrophobic residues by bound PCB, as well as the heat-induced transition of β-sheet to α-helix, contributed to the low susceptibility of BLG–PCB to aggregation. BLG–PCB has a higher resistance to pepsin and pancreatin digestion than BLG and unaltered IgE-binding properties. The improved functional properties of BLG–PCB make it a useful ingredient in the food industry

Guidance on Monitoring of Marine Litter in European Seas

This publication is a Reference Report by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.The MSFD Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter was tasked to deliver guidance so that European Member States could initiate programmes for monitoring of Descriptor 10 of the MSFD. The present document provides the recommendations and information needed to commence the monitoring required for marine litter, including methodological protocols and categories of items to be used for the assessment of litter on the Beach, Water Column, Seafloor and Biota, including a special section on Microparticles

Investigating porcine parvoviruses genogroup 2 infection using in situ polymerase chain reaction

Abstract Background Porcine parvovirus 2 (PPV2) was detected in swine serum without showing any relationship with disease. The emergence of the virus seemed to be a unique event until other genetically highly similar parvoviruses were identified in China and, later in 2012, the presence of the virus was also described in Europe. PPV2 is widely distributed in pig populations where it is suspected to be involved in respiratory conditions, based on its frequent detection in lung samples. In order to investigate the potential pathogenic involvement of PPV2, 60 dead pigs were examined from two farms. They were necropsied and tested for PPV2 and PCV2 (Porcine circovirus type 2) by PCR; by Brown and Brenn (B&B) staining for bacteria; by immunohistochemistry (IHC) to detect CD3, Swine leukocyte antigen class II DQ (SLAIIDQ), lysozyme, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), swine influenza (SIV), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo); and by in situ hybridization (ISH) to detect ssDNA and dsDNA of PCV2. PPV2 positive samples were subjected to in situ polymerase chain reaction (IS-PCR) including double staining method to detect PPV2 and host cell markers. To calculate statistical difference we used GENMOD or LOGISTIC procedures in Statistical Analysis System (SAS®). Results We found that the PPV2 was localized mostly in lymphocytes in lungs, lymph nodes and liver. Neither CD3 antigen nor lysozyme was expressed by these infected cells. In contrast, low levels of SLAIIDQ were expressed by infected cells, suggesting that PPV2 may have a specific tropism for immature B lymphocytes and/or NK lymphocytes though possibly not T lymphocytes. Conclusion The overall conclusion of this study indicates that PPV2 may contribute to the pathogenesis of pneumonia

A “Crossomics” Study Analysing Variability of Different Components in Peripheral Blood of Healthy Caucasoid Individuals

Background: Different immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases are being developed and tested in clinical studies worldwide. Their resulting complex experimental data should be properly evaluated, therefore reliable normal healthy control baseline values are indispensable. Methodology/Principal Findings: To assess intra- and inter-individual variability of various biomarkers, peripheral blood of 16 age and gender equilibrated healthy volunteers was sampled on 3 different days within a period of one month. Complex "crossomics'' analyses of plasma metabolite profiles, antibody concentrations and lymphocyte subset counts as well as whole genome expression profiling in CD4(+)T and NK cells were performed. Some of the observed age, gender and BMI dependences are in agreement with the existing knowledge, like negative correlation between sex hormone levels and age or BMI related increase in lipids and soluble sugars. Thus we can assume that the distribution of all 39.743 analysed markers is well representing the normal Caucasoid population. All lymphocyte subsets, 20% of metabolites and less than 10% of genes, were identified as highly variable in our dataset. Conclusions/Significance: Our study shows that the intra- individual variability was at least two-fold lower compared to the inter-individual one at all investigated levels, showing the importance of personalised medicine approach from yet another perspective

A REVERSE SHOCK in GRB 160509A

We present the second multi-frequency radio detection of a reverse shock in a γ-ray burst. By combining our extensive radio observations of the Fermi-Large Area Telescope γ-ray burst 160509A at z = 1.17 up to 20 days after the burst with Swift X-ray observations and ground-based optical and near-infrared data, we show that the afterglow emission comprises distinct reverse shock and forward shock contributions: the reverse shock emission dominates in the radio band at ≲10 days, while the forward shock emission dominates in the X-ray, optical, and near-infrared bands. Through multi-wavelength modeling, we determine a circumburst density of , supporting our previous suggestion that a low-density circumburst environment is conducive to the production of long-lasting reverse shock radiation in the radio band. We infer the presence of a large excess X-ray absorption column, N H ≈ 1.5 ×1022 , and a high rest-frame optical extinction, A V ≈ 3.4 mag. We identify a jet break in the X-ray light curve at , and thus derive a jet opening angle of , yielding a beaming-corrected kinetic energy and radiated γ-ray energy of erg and erg (1-104 keV, rest frame), respectively. Consistency arguments connecting the forward shocks and reverse shocks suggest a deceleration time of s ≈ T 90, a Lorentz factor of , and a reverse-shock-to-forward-shock fractional magnetic energy density ratio of . Our study highlights the power of rapid-response radio observations in the study of the properties and dynamics of γ-ray burst ejecta. © 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved

Sponge non-metastatic Group I Nme gene/protein - structure and function is conserved from sponges to humans

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nucleoside diphosphate kinases NDPK are evolutionarily conserved enzymes present in Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya, with human Nme1 the most studied representative of the family and the first identified metastasis suppressor. Sponges (Porifera) are simple metazoans without tissues, closest to the common ancestor of all animals. They changed little during evolution and probably provide the best insight into the metazoan ancestor's genomic features. Recent studies show that sponges have a wide repertoire of genes many of which are involved in diseases in more complex metazoans. The original function of those genes and the way it has evolved in the animal lineage is largely unknown. Here we report new results on the metastasis suppressor gene/protein homolog from the marine sponge <it>Suberites domuncula</it>, NmeGp1Sd. The purpose of this study was to investigate the properties of the sponge Group I Nme gene and protein, and compare it to its human homolog in order to elucidate the evolution of the structure and function of Nme.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that sponge genes coding for Group I Nme protein are intron-rich. Furthermore, we discovered that the sponge NmeGp1Sd protein has a similar level of kinase activity as its human homolog Nme1, does not cleave negatively supercoiled DNA and shows nonspecific DNA-binding activity. The sponge NmeGp1Sd forms a hexamer, like human Nme1, and all other eukaryotic Nme proteins. NmeGp1Sd interacts with human Nme1 in human cells and exhibits the same subcellular localization. Stable clones expressing sponge NmeGp1Sd inhibited the migratory potential of CAL 27 cells, as already reported for human Nme1, which suggests that Nme's function in migratory processes was engaged long before the composition of true tissues.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study suggests that the ancestor of all animals possessed a NmeGp1 protein with properties and functions similar to evolutionarily recent versions of the protein, even before the appearance of true tissues and the origin of tumors and metastasis.</p

Calpeptin is a potent cathepsin inhibitor and drug candidate for SARS-CoV-2 infections

Several drug screening campaigns identified Calpeptin as a drug candidate against SARS-CoV-2. Initially reported to target the viral main protease (Mpro), its moderate activity in Mpro inhibition assays hints at a second target. Indeed, we show that Calpeptin is an extremely potent cysteine cathepsin inhibitor, a finding additionally supported by X-ray crystallography. Cell infection assays proved Calpeptin’s efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. Treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected Golden Syrian hamsters with sulfonated Calpeptin at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight reduces the viral load in the trachea. Despite a higher risk of side effects, an intrinsic advantage in targeting host proteins is their mutational stability in contrast to highly mutable viral targets. Here we show that the inhibition of cathepsins, a protein family of the host organism, by calpeptin is a promising approach for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other viral infections

Phase-Locked Signals Elucidate Circuit Architecture of an Oscillatory Pathway

This paper introduces the concept of phase-locking analysis of oscillatory cellular signaling systems to elucidate biochemical circuit architecture. Phase-locking is a physical phenomenon that refers to a response mode in which system output is synchronized to a periodic stimulus; in some instances, the number of responses can be fewer than the number of inputs, indicative of skipped beats. While the observation of phase-locking alone is largely independent of detailed mechanism, we find that the properties of phase-locking are useful for discriminating circuit architectures because they reflect not only the activation but also the recovery characteristics of biochemical circuits. Here, this principle is demonstrated for analysis of a G-protein coupled receptor system, the M3 muscarinic receptor-calcium signaling pathway, using microfluidic-mediated periodic chemical stimulation of the M3 receptor with carbachol and real-time imaging of resulting calcium transients. Using this approach we uncovered the potential importance of basal IP3 production, a finding that has important implications on calcium response fidelity to periodic stimulation. Based upon our analysis, we also negated the notion that the Gq-PLC interaction is switch-like, which has a strong influence upon how extracellular signals are filtered and interpreted downstream. Phase-locking analysis is a new and useful tool for model revision and mechanism elucidation; the method complements conventional genetic and chemical tools for analysis of cellular signaling circuitry and should be broadly applicable to other oscillatory pathways