Spraying of viscous liquids: Influence of fluid-mixing mechanism on the performance of internal-mixing twin-fluid atomizers

The thermal usage of liquid fuels implies their combustion, which is a process strongly influenced by the performance of the atomizer, which disrupts the fuel into drops of the required sizes. The spray quality of the twin-fluid atomizers with internal mixing (IM-TFA) is primarily influenced by the two-phase flow pattern inside the mixing chamber. We studied the performance of the four types of the IM-TFA nozzles by the optical diffraction system (Malvern Spraytec) to answer the question of how the mixing chamber design influences the spray quality at low atomizing gas consumption. We tested the effervescent atomizer in outside-in-liquid (OIL) and outside-in-gas (OIG) configurations, the Y-jet nozzle and new nozzle design, and the CFT atomizer when spraying model liquids with the viscosities comparable to the common fuels (μ=60and143 mPa⋅ s). We found that the effervescent atomizer performance was strongly influenced by the configuration of the inlet ports. Although the OIL configuration provided the best spray quality (D$_{32}$ = 72 μm), with the highest efficiency (0.16%), the OIG nozzle was characterized by unstable work and poor spray quality. Both the devices were sensitive to liquid viscosity. The Y-jet nozzle provided a stable performance over the liquid viscosity spectrum, but the spray quality and efficiency were lower than for the OIL nozzle. Our findings can be used to improve the performance of the common IM-TFA types or to design new atomizers. The results also provide an overview of the tested atomizers’ performances over the wide range of working conditions and, thus, help to define the application potential of the tested nozzle designs

A qualitative investigation of major urinary proteins in relation to the onset of aggressive behavior and dispersive motivation in male wild house mice ( Mus musculus domesticus )

The physiological basis for population differentiation of dispersal timing during individual development in male wild house mice is still unknown. As major urinary proteins (MUPs) are known to convey information about competitive ability in male mice, we examined individual MUP profiles defined by isoelectric-focusing (IEF) patterns in relation to developmental timing of dispersive motivation. As an experimental paradigm marking the development of the dispersal propensity, we used agonistic onset between litter mate brothers when kept in pairs under laboratory conditions. Agonistic onset is known to reflect the initiation of dispersive motivation. Hence, we compared individual MUP IEF patterns between fraternal pairs that did or did not develop agonistic relationships before the age of 2months. Urine was collected on the day of weaning and at the beginning of adulthood. We investigated whether there was a significant co-occurrence of particular MUP IEF patterns with the agonistic onset in male mice. We assumed that, based on this co-occurrence, particular MUP IEF patterns and/or a particular dynamic of MUP IEF expression from weaning to adulthood may be considered a physiological predictor of a specific behavioral strategy in male mice (i.e. submissive-philopatric or agonistic-dispersive strategy). We found that agonistic males expressed more MUP IEF bands than amicable ones at weaning, but these differences disappeared later on. The presence of two particular IEF bands at weaning was significantly associated with early agonistic onset. Our study suggests that MUPs could have a predictive value for the onset of aggressive behavior and dispersal tendency in male wild house mic

Proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of heart failure due to volume overload in a rat aorto-caval fistula model provides support for new potential therapeutic targets - monoamine oxidase A and transglutaminase 2

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic hemodynamic overloading leads to heart failure (HF) due to incompletely understood mechanisms. To gain deeper insight into the molecular pathophysiology of volume overload-induced HF and to identify potential markers and targets for novel therapies, we performed proteomic and mRNA expression analysis comparing myocardium from Wistar rats with HF induced by a chronic aorto-caval fistula (ACF) and sham-operated rats harvested at the advanced, decompensated stage of HF.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed control and failing myocardium employing iTRAQ labeling, two-dimensional peptide separation combining peptide IEF and nano-HPLC with MALDI-MS/MS. For the transcriptomic analysis we employed Illumina RatRef-12v1 Expression BeadChip.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the proteomic analysis we identified 2030 myocardial proteins, of which 66 proteins were differentially expressed. The mRNA expression analysis identified 851 differentially expressed mRNAs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The differentially expressed proteins confirm a switch in the substrate preference from fatty acids to other sources in the failing heart. Failing hearts showed downregulation of the major calcium transporters SERCA2 and ryanodine receptor 2 and altered expression of creatine kinases. Decreased expression of two NADPH producing proteins suggests a decreased redox reserve. Overexpression of annexins supports their possible potential as HF biomarkers. Most importantly, among the most up-regulated proteins in ACF hearts were monoamine oxidase A and transglutaminase 2 that are both potential attractive targets of low molecular weight inhibitors in future HF therapy.</p

The core components of organelle biogenesis and membrane transport in the hydrogenosomes of Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasitic protist of the Excavata group. It contains an anaerobic form of mitochondria called hydrogenosomes, which produce hydrogen and ATP; the majority of mitochondrial pathways and the organellar genome were lost during the mitochondrion-to-hydrogenosome transition. Consequently, all hydrogenosomal proteins are encoded in the nucleus and imported into the organelles. However, little is known about the membrane machineries required for biogenesis of the organelle and metabolite exchange. Using a combination of mass spectrometry, immunofluorescence microscopy, in vitro import assays and reverse genetics, we characterized the membrane proteins of the hydrogenosome. We identified components of the outer membrane (TOM) and inner membrane (TIM) protein translocases include multiple paralogs of the core Tom40-type porins and Tim17/22/23 channel proteins, respectively, and uniquely modified small Tim chaperones. The inner membrane proteins TvTim17/22/23-1 and Pam18 were shown to possess conserved information for targeting to mitochondrial inner membranes, but too divergent in sequence to support the growth of yeast strains lacking Tim17, Tim22, Tim23 or Pam18. Full complementation was seen only when the J-domain of hydrogenosomal Pam18 was fused with N-terminal region and transmembrane segment of the yeast homolog. Candidates for metabolite exchange across the outer membrane were identified including multiple isoforms of the &beta;-barrel proteins, Hmp35 and Hmp36; inner membrane MCF-type metabolite carriers were limited to five homologs of the ATP/ADP carrier, Hmp31. Lastly, hydrogenosomes possess a pathway for the assembly of C-tail-anchored proteins into their outer membrane with several new tail-anchored proteins being identified. These results show that hydrogenosomes and mitochondria share common core membrane components required for protein import and metabolite exchange; however, they also reveal remarkable differences that reflect the functional adaptation of hydrogenosomes to anaerobic conditions and the peculiar evolutionary history of the Excavata group

Evolution of the Cytosolic Iron/Sulfur cluster Assembly machinery in Blastocystis sp. and other microbial eukaryotes

The Cytosolic Iron/Sulfur cluster Assembly (CIA) machinery is responsible for the assembly of cytosolic and nuclear iron/sulfur clusters, cofactors that are vital for all living cells. This machinery is uniquely found in eukaryotes and consists of at least eight proteins in opisthokont lineages such as animals and yeast. We sought to identify and characterize homologues of the CIA system proteins in the anaerobic stramenopile parasite Blastocystis sp. NandII strain. We identified transcripts encoding six of the components - Cia1, Cia2, MMS19, Nbp35, Nar1, and a putative Tah18 - and showed that the last three of them localized to the cytoplasm of the cell using immuno-fluorescence microscopy, immuno-electron microscopy and subcellular fractionation. We then used comparative genomic and phylogenetic approaches to investigate the evolutionary history of these proteins. While most Blastocystis homologues branch with their eukaryotic counterparts, the putative Blastocystis Tah18 seems to have a separate evolutionary origin and therefore possibly a different function. Furthermore, our phylogenomic analyses revealed that all eight CIA components described in opisthokonts originated before the diversification of extant eukaryotic lineages and were likely already present in the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor (LECA). Nbp35, Nar1 Cia1 and Cia2 proteins have been conserved during the subsequent evolutionary diversification of eukaryotes and are present in virtually all extant lineages, whereas the other CIA proteins have patchy phylogenetic distributions. Cia2 appears to be homologous to SufT, a component of the prokaryotic SUF system, making this the first reported evolutionary link between the CIA and any other Fe/S biogenesis pathway. All of our results suggest that the CIA machinery is an ubiquitous biosynthetic pathway in eukaryotes, but its apparent plasticity in composition raises questions regarding how it functions in non-model organisms and how it interfaces with various iron/sulfur cluster systems (i.e., ISC, NIF and/or SUF) found in eukaryotic cells

3D phase contrast MRI in models of human airways: Validation of computational fluid dynamics simulations of steady inspiratory flow

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of airflow patterns in the large airways is of interest in obstructive airways disease and in the development of inhaled therapies. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to study airflow in realistic airway models but usually need experimental validation. PURPOSE: To develop MRI-based methods to study airway flow in realistic 3D-printed models. STUDY TYPE: Case control. PHANTOM: Two 3D-printed lung models. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 1.5-3T, flow MRI. ASSESSMENT: Two human airway models, respectively including and excluding the oral cavity and upper airways derived from MR and CT imaging, were 3D-printed. 3D flow MRI was performed at different flow conditions corresponding to slow and steady airflow inhalation rates. Water was used as the working fluid to mimic airflow. Dynamic acquisition of 1D velocity profiles was also performed at different locations in the trachea to observe variability during nonsteady conditions. STATISTICAL TESTS: Linear regression analysis to compare both flow velocity fields and local flow rates from CFD simulations and experimental measurement with flow MRI. RESULTS: A good agreement was obtained between 3D velocity maps measured with flow MRI and predicted by CFD simulations, with linear regression R-squared values ranging from 0.39 to 0.94 when performing a pixel-by-pixel comparison of each velocity component. The flow distribution inside the lung models was also similar, with average slope and R-squared values of 0.96 and 0.99, respectively, when comparing local flow rates assessed at different branching locations. In the model including the upper airways, a turbulent laryngeal jet flow was observed with both methods and affected remarkably the velocity profiles in the trachea. DATA CONCLUSION: We propose flow MRI using water as a surrogate fluid to air, as a validation tool for CFD simulations of airflow in geometrically realistic models of the human airways. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018