1,365 research outputs found
ANALYSIS OF INTERFACIAL AND MASS TRANSFER EFFECTS ON FORCED CONVECTION IN GAS-LIQUID ANNULAR TWO-PHASE FLOW
In a gas-liquid annular two-phase flow one of the main factors influencing
the determination of heat transfer rates is the average thickness of the liquid
film. A model to accurately represent the heat transfer in such situations has
to be able of determining the average liquid film thickness to within a
reasonable accuracy. A typical physical aspect in gas-liquid annular flows is
the appearance of interface waves, which affect heat, mass and momentum
transfers. Existing models implicitly consider the wave effects in the
momentum transfer by an empirical correlation for the interfacial friction
factor. However, this procedure does not point out the difference between
interface waves and the natural turbulent effects of the system. In the
present work, the wave and mass transfer effects in the theoretical
estimation of average liquid film thickness are analyzed, in comparison to a
model that does not explicitly include these effects, as applied to the
prediction of heat transfer rates in a thermally developing flow situation
Theory testing and small-N design
In political science, a growing body of literature maintains that case studies do provide empirical ground for testing theory as far as procedures apply that clearly expose the probative power of evidence. We scrutinize argumentative, Bayesian, and set-theoretic procedures, and find that the former two can discipline discretion, yet not truly prevent biased conclusions about the fitting of cases to theory when used as stand-alone techniques -- while the latter relegates discretion to design issues, but cannot apply to N=1 studies
Enhanced Eshelby twist on thin wurtzite InP nanowires and measurement of local crystal rotation
We have performed a detailed study of the lattice distortions of InP wurtzite nanowires containing an axial screw dislocation. Eshelby predicted that this kind of system should show a crystal rotation due to the dislocation induced torque. We have measured the twisting rate and the dislocation Burgers vector on individual wires, revealing that nanowires with a 10-nm radius have a twist up to 100% larger than estimated from elasticity theory. The strain induced by the deformation has a Mexican-hat-like geometry, which may create a tube-like potential well for carriers
Link Invariants of Finite Type and Perturbation Theory
The Vassiliev-Gusarov link invariants of finite type are known to be closely
related to perturbation theory for Chern-Simons theory. In order to clarify the
perturbative nature of such link invariants, we introduce an algebra V_infinity
containing elements g_i satisfying the usual braid group relations and elements
a_i satisfying g_i - g_i^{-1} = epsilon a_i, where epsilon is a formal variable
that may be regarded as measuring the failure of g_i^2 to equal 1.
Topologically, the elements a_i signify crossings. We show that a large class
of link invariants of finite type are in one-to-one correspondence with
homogeneous Markov traces on V_infinity. We sketch a possible application of
link invariants of finite type to a manifestly diffeomorphism-invariant
perturbation theory for quantum gravity in the loop representation.Comment: 11 page
Constraints on the pMSSM from LAT Observations of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
We examine the ability for the Large Area Telescope (LAT) to constrain
Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) dark matter through a combined
analysis of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We examine the Lightest
Supersymmetric Particles (LSPs) for a set of ~71k experimentally valid
supersymmetric models derived from the phenomenological-MSSM (pMSSM). We find
that none of these models can be excluded at 95% confidence by the current
analysis; nevertheless, many lie within the predicted reach of future LAT
analyses. With two years of data, we find that the LAT is currently most
sensitive to light LSPs (m_LSP < 50 GeV) annihilating into tau-pairs and
heavier LSPs annihilating into b-bbar. Additionally, we find that future LAT
analyses will be able to probe some LSPs that form a sub-dominant component of
dark matter. We directly compare the LAT results to direct detection
experiments and show the complementarity of these search methods.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, submitted to JCA
4-Dimensional BF Theory as a Topological Quantum Field Theory
Starting from a Lie group G whose Lie algebra is equipped with an invariant
nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form, we show that 4-dimensional BF theory
with cosmological term gives rise to a TQFT satisfying a generalization of
Atiyah's axioms to manifolds equipped with principal G-bundle. The case G =
GL(4,R) is especially interesting because every 4-manifold is then naturally
equipped with a principal G-bundle, namely its frame bundle. In this case, the
partition function of a compact oriented 4-manifold is the exponential of its
signature, and the resulting TQFT is isomorphic to that constructed by Crane
and Yetter using a state sum model, or by Broda using a surgery presentation of
4-manifolds.Comment: 15 pages in LaTe
High-throughput screening of cellulase F mutants from multiplexed plasmid sets using an automated plate assay on a functional proteomic robotic workcell
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The field of plasmid-based functional proteomics requires the rapid assay of proteins expressed from plasmid libraries. Automation is essential since large sets of mutant open reading frames are being cloned for evaluation. To date no integrated automated platform is available to carry out the entire process including production of plasmid libraries, expression of cloned genes, and functional testing of expressed proteins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used a functional proteomic assay in a multiplexed setting on an integrated plasmid-based robotic workcell for high-throughput screening of mutants of cellulase F, an endoglucanase from the anaerobic fungus <it>Orpinomyces </it>PC-2. This allowed us to identify plasmids containing optimized clones expressing mutants with improved activity at lower pH. A plasmid library of mutagenized clones of the <it>celF </it>gene with targeted variations in the last four codons was constructed by site-directed PCR mutagenesis and transformed into <it>Escherichia coli</it>. A robotic picker integrated into the workcell was used to inoculate medium in a 96-well deep well plate, combining the transformants into a multiplexed set in each well, and the plate was incubated on the workcell. Plasmids were prepared from the multiplexed culture on the liquid handler component of the workcell and used for <it>in vitro </it>transcription/translation. The multiplexed expressed recombinant proteins were screened for improved activity and stability in an azo-carboxymethylcellulose plate assay. The multiplexed wells containing mutants with improved activity were identified and linked back to the corresponding multiplexed cultures stored in glycerol. Spread plates were prepared from the glycerol stocks and the workcell was used to pick single colonies from the spread plates, prepare plasmid, produce recombinant protein, and assay for activity. The screening assay and subsequent deconvolution of the multiplexed wells resulted in identification of improved CelF mutants and corresponding optimized clones in expression-ready plasmids.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The multiplex method using an integrated automated platform for high-throughput screening in a functional proteomic assay allows rapid identification of plasmids containing optimized clones ready for use in subsequent applications including transformations to produce improved strains or cell lines.</p
The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein is required for the function of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells
The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a primary human immunodeficiency, results from defective expression of the hematopoietic-specific cytoskeletal regulator Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP). Because CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ naturally occurring regulatory T (nTreg) cells control autoimmunity, we asked whether colitis in WASP knockout (WKO) mice is associated with aberrant development/function of nTreg cells. We show that WKO mice have decreased numbers of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ nTreg cells in both the thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs. Moreover, we demonstrate that WKO nTreg cells are markedly defective in both their ability to ameliorate the colitis induced by the transfer of CD45RBhi T cells and in functional suppression assays in vitro. Compared with wild-type (WT) nTreg cells, WKO nTreg cells show significantly impaired homing to both mucosal (mesenteric) and peripheral sites upon adoptive transfer into WT recipient mice. Suppression defects may be independent of antigen receptor–mediated actin rearrangement because both WT and WKO nTreg cells remodeled their actin cytoskeleton inefficiently upon T cell receptor stimulation. Preincubation of WKO nTreg cells with exogenous interleukin (IL)-2, combined with antigen receptor–mediated activation, substantially rescues the suppression defects. WKO nTreg cells are also defective in the secretion of the immunomodulatory cytokine IL-10. Overall, our data reveal a critical role for WASP in nTreg cell function and implicate nTreg cell dysfunction in the autoimmunity associated with WASP deficiency
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