Experimental investigation on transient characteristics of a dual compensation chamber loop heat pipe subjected to acceleration forces

In this article, an experimental study has been conducted to provide better understanding of the transient characteristics of a dual compensation chamber loop heat pipe (DCCLHP) subjected to the acceleration force. A new acceleration test rig was set up to provide the acceleration up to 11 g with three different directions. The heat load on the evaporator ranging from 25 W to 300 W was applied with the acceleration force simultaneously. Experimental results indicated that the DCCLHP could start up at a small heat load of 25 W and the startup behavior was different under acceleration direction conditions because of the vapor-liquid distribution change in the evaporator and compensation chambers (CCs). Under the current operating conditions, the effect of acceleration force was significant to the operating performance at small heat loads whereas was weak at large heat loads. Experimental results also clearly showed that both acceleration magnitude and direction can alter the operating mode. What’s more, it was found that temperature oscillation, reverse flow and evaporation in the evaporator core phenomena occurred under acceleration conditions

Attribute and technology value mapping for conceptual product design phase

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science following peer review. The final, definite version of this paper has been published in Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, Aris Georgiou, George Haritos, Moyra Fowler, and Yasmin Imani, ‘Attribute and technology value mapping for conceptual product design phase’, Vol. 230(11): 1745-1756, May 2016, published by SAGE Publishing, available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0954406215585595. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s).The main focus of this paper is how the concept design phase of the product development process can be improved by using an objective data-driven approach in selecting a final concept design to progress further. A quantitative new test-bed ‘Product Optimisation Value Engineering’ (PROVEN) is presented to critically assess new and evolving powertrain technologies at the concept design phase. The new test-bed has the ability to define a technology value map to assess multiple technical options as a function of its attributes, whose precise values can be determined at a given cost. A mathematical model that incorporates a highly adaptable, data-driven and multi-attribute value approach to product specification and conceptual design is developed, novel to the concept design process. This creates a substantially optimised product offering to the market, reducing overall development costs while achieving customer satisfactionPeer reviewe

Prothymosin alpha: a ubiquitous polypeptide with potential use in cancer diagnosis and therapy

The thymus is a central lymphoid organ with crucial role in generating T cells and maintaining homeostasis of the immune system. More than 30 peptides, initially referred to as “thymic hormones,” are produced by this gland. Although the majority of them have not been proven to be thymus-speciWc, thymic peptides comprise an eVective group of regulators, mediating important immune functions. Thymosin fraction Wve (TFV) was the Wrst thymic extract shown to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation and diVerentiation. Subsequent fractionation of TFV led to the isolation and characterization of a series of immunoactive peptides/polypeptides, members of the thymosin family. Extensive research on prothymosin (proT) and thymosin 1 (T1) showed that they are of clinical signiWcance and potential medical use. They may serve as molecular markers for cancer prognosis and/or as therapeutic agents for treating immunodeWciencies, autoimmune diseases and malignancies. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying their eVect are yet not fully elucidated proT and T1 could be considered as candidates for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we will focus in principle on the eventual clinical utility of proT, both as a tumor biomarker and in triggering anticancer immune responses. Considering the experience acquired via the use of T1 to treat cancer patients, we will also discuss potential approaches for the future introduction of proT into the clinical setting

Overexpression of Prothymosin Alpha Predicts Poor Disease Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer

In our recent study, tissue proteomic analysis of oral pre-malignant lesions (OPLs) and normal oral mucosa led to the identification of a panel of biomarkers, including prothymosin alpha (PTMA), to distinguish OPLs from histologically normal oral tissues. This study aimed to determine the clinical significance of PTMA overexpression in oral squamous cell hyperplasia, dysplasia and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Immunohistochemistry of PTMA protein was performed in HNSCCs (n = 100), squamous cell hyperplasia (n = 116), dysplasia (n = 50) and histologically normal oral tissues (n = 100). Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the association of PTMA overexpression with clinicopathological parameters and disease prognosis over 7 years for HNSCC patients.<0.001). Chi-square analysis showed significant association of nuclear PTMA with advanced tumor stages (III+IV). Kaplan Meier survival analysis indicated reduced disease free survival (DFS) in HNSCC patients (p<0.001; median survival 11 months). Notably, Cox-multivariate analysis revealed nuclear PTMA as an independent predictor of poor prognosis of HNSCC patients (p<0.001, Hazard's ratio, HR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.3–11.8) in comparison with the histological grade, T-stage, nodal status and tumor stage.Nuclear PTMA may serve as prognostic marker in HNSCC to determine the subset of patients that are likely to show recurrence of the disease

Proceedings of Abstracts, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference 2022

© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For further details please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Plenary by Prof. Timothy Foat, ‘Indoor dispersion at Dstl and its recent application to COVID-19 transmission’ is © Crown copyright (2022), Dstl. This material is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] present proceedings record the abstracts submitted and accepted for presentation at SPECS 2022, the second edition of the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference that took place online, the 12th April 2022

Metabolic engineering of yeast for enhanced natural and exotic fatty acid production

Lignocellulose-derived sugars and other biorefinery by-product streams such as glycerol and acetic acid are useful carbon feedstocks for microbes that produce lipids. Lipids have high energy density and are easily converted into versatile biofuels and valuable oleochemicals. Common, robust yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica have been the most successfully exploited as cell factories for lipid production, and excellent progress has been made in productivity with the implementation of synthetic biology tools and metabolic engineering strategies. Accumulation and storage of standard fatty acids as triacylglycerols or secretion of free fatty acids has been enhanced by modification of metabolic pathways yielding maximal fatty acid titers above 100 g L−1 and productivity of 0.8 g L−1 h−1. Production of higher-value exotic fatty acids that are not native to yeast, such as short chain, hydroxylated, and cyclopropane, has great potential but requires more research into lipid synthesis pathways and new metabolic engineering strategies to achieve similar productivities as achieved for standard fatty acids. In addition, monitoring of cell viability and health, balancing cofactor demands, and minimizing stress are important strategies to avoid or reduce metabolic burden caused by engineering of cells

A new damper system for walking induced floor vibration control

This paper presents analytical and experimental studies on the application of an innovative viscoelastic tuned mass damper system to mitigate disturbing footfall induced vibrations observed on a real office floor. The damper system consists of a number of steel-rubber sandwich beams arranged in a distributed form. Different tuning scenarios were investigated via FE simulations, demonstrating that dampers appropriately tuned to multi frequencies would be more effective than those tuned to a single frequency. The influence of the installation of the dampers on a floor bay on the response of the adjacent bay is also discussed. The custom-made dampers have been successfully installed on the existing floor without requiring any architectural or structural modifications. Results from numerical investigation and field tests show that the dampers can reduce at least 40% of the floor response to an acceptable level for human comfort in an office environment