PERFORMANCE OF DISH-STIRLING CSP SYSTEM WITH DISLOCATED ENGINE

In this paper, a Dish-Stirling Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) system was examined in which the engine works no longer as a receiver but is displaced away from it. In this arrangement it is necessary to adopt a heat transfer fluid capable of transmitting the useful power from the receiver to the hot spring in the Stirling engine head. Various components of the system need designing and especially the heat exchanger in charge of transferring power to the engine head thanks to the cooling of the fluid. The Dish-Stirling system under study includes a linear piston Stirling engine of 4 kW total rated power (3 kW thermal and 1 kW electric). The minimum temperature for starting of the engine is 190 °C, while the maximum is 565 °C. There are many innovative aspects of dish Concentrating Solar Power systems with Stirling engine dislocated, for example, the possibility of using an increased number of engines powered by a single greater dish and energy savings in the solar tracking system. The work covers the search for the most suitable fluids for the purpose, risks and benefit evaluation of fluids never used previously in the field of solar concentration. The heat exchanger sizing was carried out examining different geometric configurations. The study was conducted using a computer and setting up thermo-fluid dynamics simulations in the ANSYS 14.5 environment. Finally, the results were tested and validated through a comparison study with empirical correlations found in the literature

Evaluation of Crude Oil Fouling Formation in a Heat Exchanger with Twisted Tape Inserts

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In vivo migration of labeled autologous natural killer cells to liver metastases in patients with colon carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Besides being the effectors of native anti-tumor cytotoxicity, NK cells participate in T-lymphocyte responses by promoting the maturation of dendritic cells (DC). Adherent NK (A-NK) cells constitute a subset of IL-2-stimulated NK cells which show increased expression of integrins and the ability to adhere to solid surface and to migrate, infiltrate, and destroy cancer. A critical issue in therapy of metastatic disease is the optimization of NK cell migration to tumor tissues and their persistence therein. This study compares localization to liver metastases of autologous A-NK cells administered via the systemic (intravenous, i.v.) versus locoregional (intraarterial, i.a.) routes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A-NK cells expanded ex-vivo with IL-2 and labeled with (111)In-oxine were injected i.a. in the liver of three colon carcinoma patients. After 30 days, each patient had a new preparation of (111)In-A-NK cells injected i.v. Migration of these cells to various organs was evaluated by SPET and their differential localization to normal and neoplastic liver was demonstrated after i.v. injection of (99m)Tc-phytate. RESULTS: A-NK cells expressed a donor-dependent CD56(+)CD16(+)CD3(- )(NK) or CD56(+)CD16(+)CD3(+ )(NKT) phenotype. When injected i.v., these cells localized to the lung before being visible in the spleen and liver. By contrast, localization of i.a. injected A-NK cells was virtually confined to the spleen and liver. Binding of A-NK cells to liver neoplastic tissues was observed only after i.a. injections. CONCLUSION: This unique study design demonstrates that A-NK cells adoptively transferred to the liver via the intraarterial route have preferential access and substantial accumulation to the tumor site

Studio di modelli di calcolo della luminanza del cielo e confronto con dati sperimentali

Scuola di Dottorato "Pitagora" Scienze Ingegneristiche, Dottorato di Ricerca in Ingegneria Meccanica Ciclo XXV, a.a.2011-2012Università degli Studi della Calabri

Small-Sized Clone of T Cells in Multiple Myeloma Patient after Auto-SCT: T-LGL Leukemia Type or Clonal T-Cell Aberration?

Second cancers and particularly postransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) are extremely rare in patients undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT). We report the case of clonally rearranged T-cell expansion which occurred after auto-SCT for Multiple Myeloma (MM). Does asymptomatic clonal T-cell large granular lymphocytic proliferation, in our experience, represent either a secondary cancer after auto-SCT or clonal T cell aberration or derive from expansion of coexisting undetected small-sized clone of T cells

Comparison of Real-Time PCR, Conventional PCR, and Galactomannan Antigen Detection by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Using Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Samples from Hematology Patients for Diagnosis of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

An iCycler iQ real-time PCR assay targeting 18S rRNA Aspergillus-specific sequences was developed for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). Positive findings were obtained for 18 of 20 (90%) bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid specimens from patients with probable or confirmed IPA and were obtained for none of the 24 BAL samples from patients with no clinical evidence of aspergillosis. These results were concordant with those of a nested PCR assay, which detected 90% of the patients with IPA, while galactomannan ELISA revealed positivity for 100% of these patients, suggesting that combined use of methods might improve the diagnosis of IPA

Author response: Septal cholinergic input to CA2 hippocampal region controls social novelty discrimination via nicotinic receptor-mediated disinhibition

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Third-party bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell infusion before liver transplantation: A randomized controlled trial

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have emerged as a promising therapy to minimize the immunosuppressive regimen or induce tolerance in solid organ transplantation. In this randomized open-label phase Ib/IIa clinical trial, 20 liver transplant patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive a single pre-transplant intravenous infusion of third-party bone marrow-derived MSC or standard of care alone. The primary end-point was the safety profile of MSC administration during the one-year follow-up. Nineteen patients completed the study, and none of those who received MSC experienced infusion-related complications. The incidence of serious and non-serious adverse events was similar in the two groups. Circulating Treg/memory Treg and tolerant NK subset of CD56bright NK cells increased slightly over baseline, albeit not to a statistically significant extent, in MSC-treated patients but not in the control group. Graft function and survival, as well as histologic parameters and intragraft expression of tolerance-associated transcripts in 1-year protocol biopsies were similar in the two groups. In conclusion, pre-transplant MSC infusion in liver transplant recipients was safe and induced mild positive changes in immunoregulatory T and NK cells in the peripheral blood. This study opens the way for a trial on possible tolerogenic efficacy of MSC in liver transplantation. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02260375