Temperature dependency of the laminar burning velocity of fuel-rich methane oxygen measurements

First experiments to determine laminar burning velocities of methane-pure oxygen mixtures were carried out in 1932 by Jahn [1] for a wide range of equivalence ratios Φ (0.2 to 2.64) using a Bunsen burner. Since then, new and most important more accurate methods were developed to determine laminar burning velocities. One of these methods, namely the Heat Flux Method, which was introduced by de Goey et al. [2] in 1993, was used in the current work to validate the results for fuel-rich methane oxygen mixtures (Φ = 2.38 to 2.64) as published by Jahn. Regarding the current Heat Flux Bruner setup the range of velocities that can be determined are limited between 9 and 50 cm/s, which also limits the range of investigated equivalence ratios (Φ = 2.38 to 3.03), which is wider as the one investigated by Jahn [1]. Furthermore, the influence of the pre-heating temperature was also investigated by a variation of it from 263 up to 455 K. Based on these experimental data the temperature dependency of laminar burning velocities of fuel-rich methane oxygen mixtures was determined and as a result the coefficient α of the power law correlation SL = SL0 (T/T0)α was calculated. Due to the increase of the laminar burning velocity at higher pre-heating temperatures, the laminar burning velocities could also be determined at equivalence ratios up to a maximum value of Φ = 3.33 (TP = 455 K). The increase in accuracy of measurement methods to determine laminar burning velocities over the last decades [3] leads to an observed decrease in measured flame speeds. This tendency is confirmed in the current experiments, where the determined laminar burning velocities are lower than the ones measured by Jahn [1]. Regarding the temperature dependency of the laminar burning velocity, the results indicate that for the range of investigated equivalence ratios and temperatures (300 K to 455 K) the power law coefficient α was observed to be almost constant

Two-component system vicrk regulates functions associated with establishment of streptococcus sanguinis in biofilms

Streptococcus sanguinis is a commensal pioneer colonizer of teeth and an opportunistic pathogen of infectious endocarditis. The establishment of S. sanguinis in host sites likely requires dynamic fitting of the cell wall in response to local stimuli. In this study, we investigated the two-component system (TCS) VicRK in S. sanguinis (VicRKSs), which regulates genes of cell wall biogenesis, biofilm formation, and virulence in opportunistic pathogens. A vicK knockout mutant obtained from strain SK36 (SKvic) showed slight reductions in aerobic growth and resistance to oxidative stress but an impaired ability to form biofilms, a phenotype restored in the complemented mutant. The biofilm-defective phenotype was associated with reduced amounts of extracellular DNA during aerobic growth, with reduced production of H2O2, a metabolic product associated with DNA release, and with inhibitory capacity of S. sanguinis competitor species. No changes in autolysis or cell surface hydrophobicity were detected in SKvic. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), and promoter sequence analyses revealed that VicR directly regulates genes encoding murein hydrolases (SSA_0094, cwdP, and gbpB) and spxB, which encodes pyruvate oxidase for H2O2 production. Genes previously associated with spxB expression (spxR, ccpA, ackA, and tpK) were not transcriptionally affected in SKvic. RT-qPCR analyses of S. sanguinis biofilm cells further showed upregulation of VicRK targets (spxB, gbpB, and SSA_0094) and other genes for biofilm formation (gtfP and comE) compared to expression in planktonic cells. This study provides evidence that VicRKSs regulates functions crucial for S. sanguinis establishment in biofilms and identifies novel VicRK targets potentially involved in hydrolytic activities of the cell wall required for these functions.Streptococcus sanguinis is a commensal pioneer colonizer of teeth and an opportunistic pathogen of infectious endocarditis. The establishment of S. sanguinis in host sites likely requires dynamic fitting of the cell wall in response to local stimuli. In t821249414951FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL E NÍVEL SUPERIOR2009/54182-7; 2008/58333-7; 2009/50547-0sem informaçã

Numerical evaluation of a novel double-concentric swirl burner for sulfur combustion

A burner system for the efficient and clean combustion of sulfur is introduced, which serves as a key component in a novel solar power cycle using sulfur as chemical storage medium of solar energy. In order to validate the proposed design concept, highly-resolved numerical simulations have been performed. The current setup is operated with a thermal load of 20 kW or power density of 5 MW/m$^{3}$. Two nozzle configurations with different swirl intensities (SI) of the airflow are studied. A large inner recirculation zone is observed for the nozzle with a high SI (HSI), which leads to a strong radial dispersion of the sulfur spray and a broad, short flame in the combustion chamber; although this HSI design is beneficial from the viewpoint of flame stabilization, it causes a large number of sulfur droplets hitting the chamber wall. In contrast, the nozzle design with a low SI (LSI) yields a narrow spray and a long jet flame, with much less droplets hitting the wall. The HSI nozzle shows an overall higher flame temperature compared with the LSI nozzle, which is confirmed to be caused by burning at a higher local fuel equivalence ratio. This is attributed to the strong inner recirculation flow generated by the high swirl intensity, which results in an enhanced evaporation and mixing of sulfur droplets with air. In terms of operability and NOx emission, the LSI burner is preferred due to less sulfur droplets hitting the chamber wall and the lower flame temperature

QueDI: From Knowledge Graph Querying to Data Visualization

Abstract While Open Data (OD) publishers are spur in providing data as Linked Open Data (LOD) to boost innovation and knowledge creation, the complexity of RDF querying languages, such as SPARQL, threatens their exploitation. We aim to help lay users (by focusing on experts in table manipulation, such as OD experts) in querying and exploiting LOD by taking advantage of our target users' expertise in table manipulation and chart creation. We propose QueDI (Query Data of Interest), a question-answering and visualization tool that implements a scaffold transitional approach to 1) query LOD without being aware of SPARQL and representing results by data tables; 2) once reached our target user comfort zone, users can manipulate and 3) visually represent data by exportable and dynamic visualizations. The main novelty of our approach is the split of the querying phase in SPARQL query building and data table manipulation. In this article, we present the QueDI operating mechanism, its interface supported by a guided use-case over DBpedia, and the evaluation of its accuracy and usability level

Probing host pathogen cross-talk by transcriptional profiling of both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and infected human dendritic cells and macrophages

This study provides the proof of principle that probing the host and the microbe transcriptomes simultaneously is a valuable means to accessing unique information on host pathogen interactions. Our results also underline the extraordinary plasticity of host cell and pathogen responses to infection, and provide a solid framework to further understand the complex mechanisms involved in immunity to M. tuberculosis and in mycobacterial adaptation to different intracellular environments

Partial oxidation of ethanol on vanadia catalysts on supporting oxides with different redox properties compared to propane

The influence of the support material of vanadia catalysts on the reaction rate, activation energies, and defect formation enthalpies was investigated for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol and propane. Characterization by infrared absorption–reflection spectroscopy (IRAS), Raman and UV–vis spectroscopy verifies a high dispersion of vanadia for powder and thin-film model catalysts. The support effect of ceria, alumina, titania, and zirconia is reflected in activation energy, oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) rate, and temperature-programmed reductions (TPR) for both catalyst systems, ethanol and propane. Impendence spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to determine the defect formation enthalpy of the vanadyl oxygen double bond, providing the scaling parameter for a Bell–Evans–Polanyi relationship. On the basis of a Mars–van-Krevelen mechanism, an energy profile for the oxidative dehydrogenation is proposed

Microevolution of Pandemic Vibrio parahaemolyticus Assessed by the Number of Repeat Units in Short Sequence Tandem Repeat Regions

The emergence of the pandemic strain Vibrio parahaemolyticus O3:K6 in 1996 caused a large increase of diarrhea outbreaks related to seafood consumption in Southeast Asia, and later worldwide. Isolates of this strain constitutes a clonal complex, and their effectual differentiation is possible by comparison of their variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs). The differentiation of the isolates by the differences in VNTRs will allow inferring the population dynamics and microevolution of this strain but this requires knowing the rate and mechanism of VNTRs' variation. Our study of mutants obtained after serial cultivation of clones showed that mutation rates of the six VNTRs examined are on the order of 10−4 mutant per generation and that difference increases by stepwise addition of single mutations. The single stepwise mutation (SSM) was deduced because mutants with 1, 2, 3, or more repeat unit deletions or insertions follow a geometric distribution. Plausible phylogenetic trees are obtained when, according to SSM, the genetic distance between clusters with different number of repeats is assessed by the absolute differences in repeats. Using this approach, mutants originated from different isolates of pandemic V. parahaemolyticus after serial cultivation are clustered with their parental isolates. Additionally, isolates of pandemic V. parahaemolyticus from Southeast Asia, Tokyo, and northern and southern Chile are clustered according their geographical origin. The deepest split in these four populations is observed between the Tokyo and southern Chile populations. We conclude that proper phylogenetic relations and successful tracing of pandemic V. parahaemolyticus requires measuring the differences between isolates by the absolute number of repeats in the VNTRs considered

Modulation of enhancer looping and differential gene targeting by Epstein-Barr virus transcription factors directs cellular reprogramming

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) epigenetically reprogrammes B-lymphocytes to drive immortalization and facilitate viral persistence. Host-cell transcription is perturbed principally through the actions of EBV EBNA 2, 3A, 3B and 3C, with cellular genes deregulated by specific combinations of these EBNAs through unknown mechanisms. Comparing human genome binding by these viral transcription factors, we discovered that 25% of binding sites were shared by EBNA 2 and the EBNA 3s and were located predominantly in enhancers. Moreover, 80% of potential EBNA 3A, 3B or 3C target genes were also targeted by EBNA 2, implicating extensive interplay between EBNA 2 and 3 proteins in cellular reprogramming. Investigating shared enhancer sites neighbouring two new targets (WEE1 and CTBP2) we discovered that EBNA 3 proteins repress transcription by modulating enhancer-promoter loop formation to establish repressive chromatin hubs or prevent assembly of active hubs. Re-ChIP analysis revealed that EBNA 2 and 3 proteins do not bind simultaneously at shared sites but compete for binding thereby modulating enhancer-promoter interactions. At an EBNA 3-only intergenic enhancer site between ADAM28 and ADAMDEC1 EBNA 3C was also able to independently direct epigenetic repression of both genes through enhancer-promoter looping. Significantly, studying shared or unique EBNA 3 binding sites at WEE1, CTBP2, ITGAL (LFA-1 alpha chain), BCL2L11 (Bim) and the ADAMs, we also discovered that different sets of EBNA 3 proteins bind regulatory elements in a gene and cell-type specific manner. Binding profiles correlated with the effects of individual EBNA 3 proteins on the expression of these genes, providing a molecular basis for the targeting of different sets of cellular genes by the EBNA 3s. Our results therefore highlight the influence of the genomic and cellular context in determining the specificity of gene deregulation by EBV and provide a paradigm for host-cell reprogramming through modulation of enhancer-promoter interactions by viral transcription factors