Adaptive coatings based on polyaniline for direct 2D observation of diffusion processes in microfluidic systems

Microfluidic devices are poised to dramatically influence the future of the process industry. Therefore the understanding and proper evaluation of the flow and mixing behaviour at microscale becomes a very important issue. In this study, the diffusion behaviour of two reacting solutions of HCl and NaOH were directly observed in a glass/polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic device using adaptive coatings based on the conductive polymer polyaniline that are covalently attached to the microchannel walls. The two liquid streams were combined at the junction of a Y-shaped microchannel, and allowed to diffuse into each other and react. The results showed excellent correlation between optical observation of the diffusion process and the numerical results. A numerical model which is based on finite volume method (FVM) discretisation of steady Navier-Stokes (fluid flow) equations and mass transport equations without reactions was used to calculate the flow variables at discrete points in the finite volume mesh element. The high correlation between theory and practical data indicates the potential of such coatings to monitor diffusion processes and mixing behaviour inside microfluidic channels in a dye free environment

Examination of the Levels of Digital Game Dependency of the Students of the Faculty of Sports

The aim of our study was to examine the digital game addiction levels of the students of the Faculty of Sports Sciences in terms of some variables. The research group of our study consists of 397 randomly selected undergraduate students studying at Firat University Faculty of Sports Sciences and Inonu University Faculty of Sports Sciences in 2019. Frequency of variables (f) and percentage (%) distributions were calculated and two-way variance analysis (ANOVA) was used in multiple group variables and t-test was used for the significance of the difference between the two independent groups. Tukey test was used to determine which groups it was among in the analysis in which significant differences were detected. According to the findings of our study, undergraduate students studying in the departments of Firat University Faculty of Sports Sciences and Inonu University Faculty of Sports Sciences; It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in the level of digital game dependency of the undergraduate students depending on the department, class, gender and age variables in which they studied. There was a statistically significant difference between digital game dependency levels based on the state of playing the digital game and the daily playing time variables. In line with the study findings, digital game addiction with an average of 2.29 on the digital game addiction scores of undergraduate students studying at Firat University Faculty of Sports Sciences and Inonu University Faculty of Sports Sciences levels were below average

Adaptive coatings based on polyaniline for direct 2d observation of diffusion processes in microfluidic systems

Microfluidic devices are poised to dramatically influence the future of the process industry. Therefore the understanding and proper evaluation of the flow and mixing behaviour at microscale becomes a very important issue. In this study, the diffusion behaviour of two reacting solutions of HCl and NaOH were directly observed in a glass/polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic device using adaptive coatings based on the conductive polymer polyaniline that are covalently attached to the microchannel walls. The two liquid streams were combined at the junction of a Y-shaped microchannel, and allowed to diffuse into each other and react. The results showed excellent correlation between optical observation of the diffusion process and the numerical results. A numerical model which is based on finite volume method (FVM) discretization of steady Navier-Stokes (fluid flow) equations and mass transport equations without reactions was used to calculate the flow variables at discrete points in the finite volume mesh element. The high correlation between theory and practical data indicates the potential of such coatings to monitor diffusion processes and mixing behaviour inside microfluidic channels in a dye free environment

Forced Convection Heat Transfer from a Finite-Height Cylinder

[EN] This paper presents a large eddy simulation of forced convection heat transfer in the flow around a surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinder. The study was carried out for a cylinder with height-to-diameter ratio of 2.5, a Reynolds number based on the cylinder diameter of 44 000 and a Prandtl number of 1. Only the surface of the cylinder is heated while the bottom wall and the inflow are kept at a lower fixed temperature. The approach flow boundary layer had a thickness of about 10% of the cylinder height. Local and averaged heat transfer coefficients are presented. The heat transfer coefficient is strongly affected by the free-end of the cylinder. As a result of the flow over the top being downwashed behind the cylinder, a vortex-shedding process does not occur in the upper part, leading to a lower value of the local heat transfer coefficient in that region. In the lower region, vortex-shedding takes place leading to higher values of the local heat transfer coefficient. The circumferentially averaged heat transfer coefficient is 20 % higher near the ground than near the top of the cylinder. The spreading and dilution of the mean temperature field in the wake of the cylinder are also discussed.The simulation was carried out using the supercomputing facilities of the Steinbuch Centre for Computing (SCC) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. MGV has been partially supported by grant TRA2012-37714 of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.García Villalba, M.; Palau-Salvador, G.; Rodi, W. (2014). Forced Convection Heat Transfer from a Finite-Height Cylinder. Flow, Turbulence and Combustion. 93(1):171-187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-014-9543-7S171187931Ames, F., Dvorak, L.: Turbulent transport in pin fin arrays: experimental data and predictions. J. Turbomach. 128(1), 71–81 (2006)Armstrong, J., Winstanley, D.: A review of staggered array pin fin heat transfer for turbine cooling applications. J. Turbomach. 110, 94 (1988)Breuer, M., Rodi, W.: Large eddy simulation of complex turbulent flows of practical interest. In: Hirschel, E. (ed.) Flow Simulation with High Performance Computers II, Notes on Numerical Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 52, pp 258–274. Vieweg, Braunschweig (1996)Chen, S., Sanitjai, S., Ghosh, K., Goldstein, R.: Three-dimensional vortex flow near the endwall of a short cylinder in crossflow: uniform-diameter circular cylinder. Appl. Therm. Eng. 49, 73–78 (2012)Delibra, G., Hanjalic, K., Borello, D., Rispoli, F.: Vortex structures and heat transfer in a wall-bounded pin matrix: LES with a RANS wall-treatment. Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 31(5), 740–753 (2010)Denev, J.A., Fröhlich, J., Bockhorn, H.: Large eddy simulation of a swirling transverse jet into a crossflow with investigation of scalar transport. Phys. Fluids 21, 015101 (2009)Donnert, G.D., Kappler, M., Rodi, W.: Measurement of tracer concentration in the flow around finite-height cylinders. J. Turbul. 8, 33 (2007)Frederich, O., Thiele, F.: Turbulent flow dynamics caused by a truncated cylinder. Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 32(3), 546–557 (2011)Fröhlich, J., García-Villalba, M., Rodi, W.: Scalar mixing and large–scale coherent structures in a turbulent swirling jet. Flow Turbul. Combust. 80, 47–59 (2008)Fröhlich, J., Rodi, W.: LES of the flow around a cylinder of finite height. Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 25, 537–548 (2004)García-Villalba, M., Fröhlich, J.: LES of a free annular swirling jet–Dependence of coherent structures on a pilot jet and the level of swirl. Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 27(5), 911–923 (2006)García-Villalba, M., Li, N., Rodi, W., Leschziner, M.A.: Large eddy simulation of separated flow over a three-dimensional axisymmetric hill. J. Fluid Mech. 627, 55–96 (2009)Germano, M., Piomelli, U., Moin, P., Cabot, W.: A dynamic subgrid-scale eddy viscosity model. Phys. Fluids 3, 1760–1765 (1991)Hinckel, J.N., Nagamatsu, H.T.: Heat transfer in the stagnation region of the junction of a circular cylinder perpendicular to a flat plate. Int. J. Heat Mass Tran. 29(7), 999–1005 (1986)Hinterberger, C.: Dreidimensionale und tiefengemittelte Large-eddy-simulation von flachwasserströmungen. University of Karlsruhe (2004). Ph.D. thesisHölscher, N., Niemann, H.J.: Some aspects about the flow around a surface-mounted circular cylinder in a turbulent shear flow. In: Proceedings of 6th Symp. Int. Turbulent Shear Flows, ToulouseKrajnovic, S.: Flow around a tall finite cylinder explored by large eddy simulation. J. Fluid Mech. 676, 294–317 (2011)Lilly, D.: A proposed modification of the Germano subgrid-scale closure method. Phys. Fluids 4, 633–635 (1992)Morgan, V.T.: The overall convective heat transfer from smooth circular cylinders. Adv. Heat Tran. 11, 199–264 (1975)Ničeno, B., Dronkers, A., Hanjalić, K.: Turbulent heat transfer from a multi-layered wall-mounted cube matrix: a large eddy simulation. Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 23(2), 173–185 (2002)Palau-Salvador, G., García-Villalba, M., Rodi, W.: Scalar transport from point sources in the flow around a finite-height cylinder. Environ. Fluid Mech. 11, 611–625 (2011)Palau-Salvador, G., Stoesser, T., Fröhlich, J., Kappler, M., Rodi, W.: Large-eddy simulations and experiments of flow around finite-height cylinders. Flow Turbul. Combust. 84, 239–275 (2010)Pattenden, R., Turnock, S., Zhang, X.: Measurements of the flow over a low-aspect ratio cylinder mounted on a ground plate. Exp. Fluids 39, 10–21 (2005)Pierce, C.: Progress-variable approach for large-eddy simulation of turbulent combustion. Stanford University (2001). Ph.D. thesisPopovac, M., Hanjalic, K.: Vortices and heat flux around a wall-mounted cube cooled simultaneously by a jet and a crossflow. Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 52, 4047–4062 (2009)Rhie, C., Chow, W.: Numerical study of the turbulent flow past an airfoil with trailing edge separation. AIAA J. 21(11), 1061–1068 (1983)Rostamy, N., Sumner, D., Bergstrom, D.J., Bugg, J.D.: Local flow field of a surface-mounted finite circular cylinder. J. Fluids Struct. 34, 105–122 (2012)Sanitjai, S., Goldstein, R.J.: Forced convection heat transfer from a circular cylinder in crossflow to air and liquids. Int. J. Heat Mass Tran 47, 4795–4805 (2004)Sanitjai, S., Goldstein, R.J.: Heat transfer from a circular cylinder to mixtures of water and ethylene glycol. Int. J. Heat Mass Tran. 47, 4785–4794 (2004)Sparrow, E.M., Stahl, T.J., Traub, P.: Heat transfer adjacent to the attached end of a cylinder in crossflow. Int. J. Heat Mass Tran. 27(2), 233–242 (1984)Stone, H.: Iterative solution of implicit approximations of multidimensional partial differential equations for finite difference Methods. SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 5, 530–558 (1968)Sumner, D.: Flow above the free end of a surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinder: a review. J. Fluids Struct. 43, 41–63 (2013)Tsutsui, T., Igarashi, T., Nakamura, H.: Fluid flow and heat transfer around a cylindrical protuberance mounted on a flat plate boundary layer. JSME Ser. B 43(2), 279–287 (2000)Tsutsui, T., Kawahara, M.: Heat transfer around a cylindrical protuberance mounted in a plane turbulent boundary layer. J. Heat Tran. 128, 153–161 (2006)Tutar, M., Akkoca, A.: Numerical analysis of fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in three-dimensional plate fin-and-tube heat exchangers. Num. Heat Tran. A 46, 301–321 (2004)Zhu, J.: Low diffusive and oscillation–free convection scheme. Comm. Appl. Num. Meth. 7, 225–232 (1991)Zukauskas, A.A.: Heat transfer from tubes in cross-flow. Adv. Heat Tran. 8, 93–160 (1972

Paleovegetation Researches Based on Fossil Pollen Analysis in Akgöl (Sakarya): Preliminary Results

Fosil polen analizleri göl çökelleri, turbalıklar, akarsu ve deniz sedimanları, buzullar, linyitler ve taş kömürleri gibi çeşitli ortamlardan elde edilen polenlerin_x000D_ araştırılmasını kapsamaktadır. Kuvaterner dönemine ait palinolojik çalışmaların önemli veri kaynaklarından biri de göllerdir. Araştırma alanı olarak seçilen_x000D_ Akgöl, Sakarya ilinde, Ferizli ilçesinin Gölkent mahallesinde bulunmaktadır. Gölün yüzölçümü 3,5 km2_x000D_ ve maksimum derinliği 8 m’dir. Bu çalışmanın amacı:_x000D_ gölün dip sedimanlarında fosil polen analizleri yaparak gölün çevresinde son 1000 yılda meydana gelen vejetasyon değişimlerini ortaya çıkarmaktır._x000D_ Akgöl’den karot alımında İTÜ EMCOL Araştırma Uygulama Merkezi’nin 4x4 m. platformlu piston karotiyeri kullanılmıştır. İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa,_x000D_ Orman Fakültesi Orman Botaniği Anabilim Dalında bulunan Palinoloji Laboratuvarı’na getirilen karot üzerinde her 5 cm’de bir 2 cm3_x000D_ lük sediman örnekleri_x000D_ alınmıştır. Bu örneklerde “klasik yönteme” göre fosil polen analizi yapılmıştır. Hazırlanan polen preparatlarında her bir bitki taksonu için polen yüzdesi_x000D_ değerleri hesaplanmış, odunsu ve otsu taksonlara ait yüzde grafikleri TILIA adlı programda çizilmiştir. Polen diyagramından elde edilen ilk bulgulara göre;_x000D_ Akgöl ve çevresinde son 1000 yılda yaprak döken orman vejetasyonu hâkimdir. Bu doğal orman varlığının içine son yıllarda Gymnospermae taksonlarından_x000D_ sahil çamları da dikim yoluyla getirilmiştir.Fossil pollen analyzes include research of pollen grains from various environments such as lake sediments, peatland, river and marine sediments, glaciers,_x000D_ lignite and coal. Lakes are one of the important data sources for Quaternary palynological studies. Akgöl, which is selected as a research area, is located in Gölkent district of the Ferizli township in the provincial city of Sakarya. Its surface area is 3.5 km2_x000D_ and its maximum depth is 8 meters. The aim of this study_x000D_ was to investigate vegetation changes around Akgöl in the last 1000 years using fossil pollen analysis in the bottom sediments of the lake. The Piston corer_x000D_ of ITU EMCOL Research Centre was used for recovering sediment cores from Akgöl. Sediment samples of 2 cm3_x000D_ were collected every 5 centimeters on one_x000D_ of the cores at the Palynology Laboratory of IUC. Fossil pollen analysis was performed according to the “classical method”. The pollen percentage values_x000D_ were calculated for each plant taxa and relative abundance graphs were plotted in the TILIA program. According to preliminary results of the pollen_x000D_ diagram; deciduous forest vegetation has been predominant in the last 1000 years around Akgöl. Maritime pine was introduced into this natural forest by_x000D_ plantation in the recent year

The HSP70 modulator MAL3-101 inhibits Merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer for which no effective treatment is available. MCC represents a human cancer with the best experimental evidence for a causal role of a polyoma virus. Large T antigens (LTA) encoded by polyoma viruses are oncoproteins, which are thought to require support of cellular heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) to exert their transforming activity. Here we evaluated the capability of MAL3-101, a synthetic HSP70 inhibitor, to limit proliferation and survival of various MCC cell lines. Remarkably, MAL3-101 treatment resulted in considerable apoptosis in 5 out of 7 MCC cell lines. While this effect was not associated with the viral status of the MCC cells, quantitative mRNA expression analysis of the known HSP70 isoforms revealed a significant correlation between MAL3-101 sensitivity and HSC70 expression, the most prominent isoform in all cell lines. Moreover, MAL3-101 also exhibited in vivo antitumor activity in an MCC xenograft model suggesting that this substance or related compounds are potential therapeutics for the treatment of MCC in the future. © 2014 Adam et al

Function of SSA Subfamily of Hsp70 Within and Across Species Varies Widely in Complementing Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Growth and Prion Propagation

BACKGROUND:The cytosol of most eukaryotic cells contains multiple highly conserved Hsp70 orthologs that differ mainly by their spatio-temporal expression patterns. Hsp70s play essential roles in protein folding, transport or degradation, and are major players of cellular quality control processes. However, while several reports suggest that specialized functions of Hsp70 orthologs were selected through evolution, few studies addressed systematically this issue. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We compared the ability of Ssa1p-Ssa4p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Ssa5p-Ssa8p from the evolutionary distant yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to perform Hsp70-dependent tasks when expressed as the sole Hsp70 for S. cerevisiae in vivo. We show that Hsp70 isoforms (i) supported yeast viability yet with markedly different growth rates, (ii) influenced the propagation and stability of the [PSI(+)] and [URE3] prions, but iii) did not significantly affect the proteasomal degradation rate of CFTR. Additionally, we show that individual Hsp70 orthologs did not induce the formation of different prion strains, but rather influenced the aggregation properties of Sup35 in vivo. Finally, we show that [URE3] curing by the overexpression of Ydj1p is Hsp70-isoform dependent. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:Despite very high homology and overlapping functions, the different Hsp70 orthologs have evolved to possess distinct activities that are required to cope with different types of substrates or stress situations. Yeast prions provide a very sensitive model to uncover this functional specialization and to explore the intricate network of chaperone/co-chaperone/substrates interactions

Expression of a malarial Hsp70 improves defects in chaperone-dependent activities in ssa1 mutant yeast

Plasmodium falciparum causes the most virulent form of malaria and encodes a large number of molecular chaperones. Because the parasite encounters radically different environments during its lifecycle, many members of this chaperone ensemble may be essential for P. falciparum survival. Therefore, Plasmodium chaperones represent novel therapeutic targets, but to establish the mechanism of action of any developed therapeutics, it is critical to ascertain the functions of these chaperones. To this end, we report the development of a yeast expression system for PfHsp70-1, a P. falciparum cytoplasmic chaperone. We found that PfHsp70-1 repairs mutant growth phenotypes in yeast strains lacking the two primary cytosolic Hsp70s, SSA1 and SSA2, and in strains harboring a temperature sensitive SSA1 allele. PfHsp70-1 also supported chaperone-dependent processes such as protein translocation and ER associated degradation, and ameliorated the toxic effects of oxidative stress. By introducing engineered forms of PfHsp70-1 into the mutant strains, we discovered that rescue requires PfHsp70-1 ATPase activity. Together, we conclude that yeast can be co-opted to rapidly uncover specific cellular activities mediated by malarial chaperones. © 2011 Bell et al

Procyanidins are potent inhibitors of LOX-1: a new player in the French Paradox

Lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) is an endothelial receptor for oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and plays multiple roles in the development of cardiovascular diseases. We screened more than 400 foodstuff extracts for identifying materials that inhibit oxLDL binding to LOX-1. Results showed that 52 extracts inhibited LOX-1 by more than 70% in cell-free assays. Subsequent cell-based assays revealed that a variety of foodstuffs known to be rich in procyanidins such as grape seed extracts and apple polyphenols, potently inhibited oxLDL uptake in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing LOX-1. Indeed, purified procyanidins significantly inhibited oxLDL binding to LOX-1 while other ingredients of apple polyphenols did not. Moreover, chronic administration of oligomeric procyanidins suppressed lipid accumulation in vascular wall in hypertensive rats fed with high fat diet. These results suggest that procyanidins are LOX-1 inhibitors and LOX-1 inhibition might be a possible underlying mechanism of the well-known vascular protective effects of red wine, the French Paradox

Theories of schizophrenia: a genetic-inflammatory-vascular synthesis

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia, a relatively common psychiatric syndrome, affects virtually all brain functions yet has eluded explanation for more than 100 years. Whether by developmental and/or degenerative processes, abnormalities of neurons and their synaptic connections have been the recent focus of attention. However, our inability to fathom the pathophysiology of schizophrenia forces us to challenge our theoretical models and beliefs. A search for a more satisfying model to explain aspects of schizophrenia uncovers clues pointing to genetically mediated CNS microvascular inflammatory disease. DISCUSSION: A vascular component to a theory of schizophrenia posits that the physiologic abnormalities leading to illness involve disruption of the exquisitely precise regulation of the delivery of energy and oxygen required for normal brain function. The theory further proposes that abnormalities of CNS metabolism arise because genetically modulated inflammatory reactions damage the microvascular system of the brain in reaction to environmental agents, including infections, hypoxia, and physical trauma. Damage may accumulate with repeated exposure to triggering agents resulting in exacerbation and deterioration, or healing with their removal. There are clear examples of genetic polymorphisms in inflammatory regulators leading to exaggerated inflammatory responses. There is also ample evidence that inflammatory vascular disease of the brain can lead to psychosis, often waxing and waning, and exhibiting a fluctuating course, as seen in schizophrenia. Disturbances of CNS blood flow have repeatedly been observed in people with schizophrenia using old and new technologies. To account for the myriad of behavioral and other curious findings in schizophrenia such as minor physical anomalies, or reported decreased rates of rheumatoid arthritis and highly visible nail fold capillaries, we would have to evoke a process that is systemic such as the vascular and immune/inflammatory systems. SUMMARY: A vascular-inflammatory theory of schizophrenia brings together environmental and genetic factors in a way that can explain the diversity of symptoms and outcomes observed. If these ideas are confirmed, they would lead in new directions for treatments or preventions by avoiding inducers of inflammation or by way of inflammatory modulating agents, thus preventing exaggerated inflammation and consequent triggering of a psychotic episode in genetically predisposed persons