392 research outputs found
Bistability of Slow and Fast Traveling Waves in Fluid Mixtures
The appearence of a new type of fast nonlinear traveling wave states in
binary fluid convection with increasing Soret effect is elucidated and the
parameter range of their bistability with the common slower ones is evaluated
numerically. The bifurcation behavior and the significantly different
spatiotemporal properties of the different wave states - e.g. frequency, flow
structure, and concentration distribution - are determined and related to each
other and to a convenient measure of their nonlinearity. This allows to derive
a limit for the applicability of small amplitude expansions. Additionally an
universal scaling behavior of frequencies and mixing properties is found.
PACS: 47.20.-k, 47.10.+g, 47.20.KyComment: 4 pages including 5 Postscript figure
Influence of the Soret effect on convection of binary fluids
Convection in horizontal layers of binary fluids heated from below and in
particular the influence of the Soret effect on the bifurcation properties of
extended stationary and traveling patterns that occur for negative Soret
coupling is investigated theoretically. The fixed points corresponding to these
two convection structures are determined for realistic boundary conditions with
a many mode Galerkin scheme for temperature and concentration and an accurate
one mode truncation of the velocity field. This solution procedure yields the
stable and unstable solutions for all stationary and traveling patterns so that
complete phase diagrams for the different convection types in typical binary
liquid mixtures can easily be computed. Also the transition from weakly to
strongly nonlinear states can be analyzed in detail. An investigation of the
concentration current and of the relevance of its constituents shows the way
for a simplification of the mode representation of temperature and
concentration field as well as for an analytically manageable few mode
description.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figure
Alginate microspheres containing temperature sensitive liposomes (TSL) for MR-guided embolization and triggered release of doxorubicin
Objective
The objective of this study was to develop and characterize alginate microspheres suitable for embolization with on-demand triggered doxorubicin (DOX) release and whereby the microspheres as well as the drug releasing process can be visualized in vivo using MRI.
Methods and Findings
For this purpose, barium crosslinked alginate microspheres were loaded with temperature sensitive liposomes (TSL/TSL-Ba-ms), which release their payload upon mild hyperthermia. These TSL contained DOX and [Gd(HPDO3A)(H2O)], a T1 MRI contrast agent, for real time visualization of the release. Empty alginate microspheres crosslinked with holmium ions (T2* MRI contrast agent, Ho-ms) were mixed with TSL-Ba-ms to allow microsphere visualization. TSL-Ba-ms and Ho-ms were prepared with a homemade spray device and sized by sieving. Encapsulation of TSL in barium crosslinked microspheres changed the triggered release properties only slightly: 95% of the loaded DOX was released from free TSL vs. 86% release for TSL-Ba-ms within 30 seconds in 50% FBS at 42Β°C. TSL-Ba-ms (76 Β± 41 ΞΌm) and Ho-ms (64 Β± 29 ΞΌm) had a comparable size, which most likely will result in a similar in vivo tissue distribution after an i.v. co-injection and therefore Ho-ms can be used as tracer for the TSL-Ba-ms. MR imaging of a TSL-Ba-ms and Ho-ms mixture (ratio 95:5) before and after hyperthermia allowed in vitro and in vivo visualization of microsphere deposition (T2*-weighted images) as well as temperature-triggered release (T1-weighted images). The [Gd(HPDO3A)(H2O)] release and clusters of microspheres containing holmium ions were visualized in a VX2 tumor model in a rabbit using MRI.
Conclusions
In conclusion, these TSL-Ba-ms and Ho-ms are promising systems for real-time, MR-guided embolization and triggered release of drugs in vivo
Influence of the Dufour effect on convection in binary gas mixtures
Linear and nonlinear properties of convection in binary fluid layers heated
from below are investigated, in particular for gas parameters. A Galerkin
approximation for realistic boundary conditions that describes stationary and
oscillatory convection in the form of straight parallel rolls is used to
determine the influence of the Dufour effect on the bifurcation behaviour of
convective flow intensity, vertical heat current, and concentration mixing. The
Dufour--induced changes in the bifurcation topology and the existence regimes
of stationary and traveling wave convection are elucidated. To check the
validity of the Galerkin results we compare with finite--difference numerical
simulations of the full hydrodynamical field equations. Furthermore, we report
on the scaling behaviour of linear properties of the stationary instability.Comment: 14 pages and 10 figures as uuencoded Postscript file (using uufiles
Influence of through-flow on linear pattern formation properties in binary mixture convection
We investigate how a horizontal plane Poiseuille shear flow changes linear
convection properties in binary fluid layers heated from below. The full linear
field equations are solved with a shooting method for realistic top and bottom
boundary conditions. Through-flow induced changes of the bifurcation thresholds
(stability boundaries) for different types of convective solutions are deter-
mined in the control parameter space spanned by Rayleigh number, Soret coupling
(positive as well as negative), and through-flow Reynolds number. We elucidate
the through-flow induced lifting of the Hopf symmetry degeneracy of left and
right traveling waves in mixtures with negative Soret coupling. Finally we
determine with a saddle point analysis of the complex dispersion relation of
the field equations over the complex wave number plane the borders between
absolute and convective instabilities for different types of perturbations in
comparison with the appropriate Ginzburg-Landau amplitude equation
approximation. PACS:47.20.-k,47.20.Bp, 47.15.-x,47.54.+rComment: 19 pages, 15 Postscript figure
Convection in Binary Fluid Mixtures. II. Localized Traveling Waves. (Physical Review E, in press)
Nonlinear, spatially localized structures of traveling convection rolls are
investigated in quantitative detail as a function of Rayleigh number for two
different Soret coupling strengths (separation ratios) with Lewis and Prandtl
numbers characterizing ethanol-water mixtures. A finite-difference method was
used to solve the full hydrodynamic field equations numerically. Structure and
dynamics of these localized traveling waves (LTW) are dominated by the
concentration field. Like in the spatially extended convective states ( cf.
accompanying paper), the Soret-induced concentration variations strongly
influence, via density changes, the buoyancy forces that drive convection. The
spatio-temporal properties of this feed-back mechanism, involving boundary
layers and concentration plumes, show that LTW's are strongly nonlinear states.
Light intensity distributions are determined that can be observed in side-view
shadowgraphs. Detailed analyses of all fields are made using colour-coded
isoplots, among others. In the frame comoving with their drift velocity, LTW's
display a nontrivial spatio-temporal symmetry consisting of time-translation by
half an oscillation period combined with vertical reflection through the
horizontal midplane of the layer. A time-averaged concentration current is
driven by a phase difference between the waves of concentration and vertical
velocity in the bulk of the LTW state. The associated large-scale concentration
redistribution stabilizes the LTW and controls its drift velocity into the
quiescent fluid by generating a buoyancy-reducing concentration "barrier" ahead
of the leading LTW front. The selection of the width of the LTW's is
investigated and comparisons with experiments are presented.Comment: 18 pages and 6 figures as uuencoded Postscript file (using uufiles) 1
color figure as uuencoded Postscript file, a high resolution version of the
color figure (about 10MB) can be requested from [email protected] or
[email protected].: (Barten)present address: PSI, CH-5232 Villigen
PSI, Switzerlan
Rights, Knowledge, and Governance for Improved Health Equity in Urban Settings
All three of the interacting aspects of daily urban life (physical environment, social conditions, and the added pressure of climate change) that affect health inequities are nested within the concept of urban governance, which has the task of understanding and managing the interactions among these different factors so that all three can be improved together and coherently. Governance is defined as: βthe process of collective decision making and processes by which decisions are implemented or not implementedβ: it is concerned with the distribution, exercise, and consequences of power. Although there appears to be general agreement that the quality of governance is important for development, much less agreement appears to exist on what the concept really implies and how it should be used. Our review of the literature confirmed significant variation in meaning as well as in the practice of urban governance arrangements. The review found that the linkage between governance practices and health equity is under-researched and/or has been neglected. Reconnecting the fields of urban planning, social sciences, and public health are essential βnot only for improving local governance, but also for understanding and addressing global political changeβ for enhanced urban health equity. Social mobilization, empowering governance, and improved knowledge for sustainable and equitable development in urban settings is urgently needed. A set of strategic research questions are suggested
Targeting VIP and PACAP receptor signalling: new therapeutic strategies in multiple sclerosis
MS (multiple sclerosis) is a chronic autoimmune and neurodegenerative pathology of the CNS (central nervous system) affecting approx. 2.5 million people worldwide. Current and emerging DMDs (disease-modifying drugs) predominantly target the immune system. These therapeutic agents slow progression and reduce severity at early stages of MS, but show little activity on the neurodegenerative component of the disease. As the latter determines permanent disability, there is a critical need to pursue alternative modalities. VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide) and PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide) have potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective actions, and have shown significant activity in animal inflammatory disease models including the EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis) MS model. Thus, their receptors have become candidate targets for inflammatory diseases. Here, we will discuss the immunomodulatory and neuroprotective actions of VIP and PACAP and their signalling pathways, and then extensively review the structureβactivity relationship data and biophysical interaction studies of these peptides with their cognate receptors
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