Parametric Erosion Investigation: Propellant Adiabatic Flame Temperature

The influence of quasi-independent parameters and their potential influence on erosion in guns have been investigated. Specifically, the effects of flame temperature and the effect of assuming that the Lewis number (ratio of mass-to-heat transport to the surface), Le = 1, has been examined. The adiabatic flame temperature for a propellant was reduced by the addition of a diluent from a high temperature of 3843 K (similar to that of M9) down to 3004 K, which is near the value for M30A1 propellant. Mass fractions of critical species at the surface with and without the assumption of Le = 1 are presented, demonstrating that certain species preferentially reach the surface providing varied conditions for the surface reactions. The results for gun tube bore surface regression qualitatively agree with previous studies and with current experimental data

Proteobactin and a yersiniabactin-related siderophore mediate iron acquisition in Proteus mirabilis

Proteus mirabilis causes complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). While the urinary tract is an iron-limiting environment, iron acquisition remains poorly characterized for this uropathogen. Microarray analysis of P. mirabilis HI4320 cultured under iron limitation identified 45 significantly upregulated genes ( P  ≤  0.05) that represent 21 putative iron-regulated systems. Two gene clusters, PMI0229-0239 and PMI2596-2605, encode putative siderophore systems. PMI0229-0239 encodes a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-independent siderophore system for producing a novel siderophore, proteobactin. PMI2596-2605 are contained within the high-pathogenicity island, originally described in Yersinia pestis , and encodes proteins with apparent homology and organization to those involved in yersiniabactin production and uptake. Cross-feeding and biochemical analysis shows that P. mirabilis is unable to utilize or produce yersiniabactin, suggesting that this yersiniabactin-related locus is functionally distinct. Only disruption of both systems resulted in an in vitro iron-chelating defect; demonstrating production and iron-chelating activity for both siderophores. These findings clearly show that proteobactin and the yersiniabactin-related siderophore function as iron acquisition systems. Despite the activity of both siderophores, only mutants lacking the yersiniabactin-related siderophore have reduced fitness in vivo . The fitness requirement for the yersiniabactin-related siderophore during UTI shows, for the first time, the importance of siderophore production in vivo for P. mirabilis .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79111/1/MMI_7317_sm_FigS1-S2_TabS1-S3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79111/2/j.1365-2958.2010.07317.x.pd

Metabolic Control in Type 1 Diabetes: Is Adjunctive Therapy the Way Forward?

Despite advances in insulin therapies, patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) have a shorter life span due to hyperglycaemia-induced vascular disease and hypoglycaemic complications secondary to insulin therapy. Restricting therapy for T1DM to insulin replacement is perhaps an over-simplistic approach, and we focus in this work on reviewing the role of adjuvant therapy in this population. Current data suggest that adding metformin to insulin therapy in T1DM temporarily lowers HbA1c and reduces weight and insulin requirements, but this treatment fails to show a longer-term glycaemic benefit. Agents in the sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT-2) class demonstrate the greatest promise in correcting hyperglycaemia, but there are safety concerns in relation to the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis. Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1) show a modest effect on glycaemia, if any, but significantly reduce weight, which may make them suitable for use in overweight T1DM patients. Treatment with pramlintide is not widely available worldwide, although there is evidence to indicate that this agent reduces both HbA1c and weight in T1DM. A criticism of adjuvant studies is the heavy reliance on HbA1c as the primary endpoint while generally ignoring other glycaemic parameters. Moreover, vascular risk markers and measures of insulin resistance—important considerations in individuals with a longer T1DM duration—are yet to be fully investigated following adjuvant therapies. Finally, studies to date have made the assumption that T1DM patients are a homogeneous group of individuals who respond similarly to adjuvant therapies, which is unlikely to be the case. Future longer-term adjuvant studies investigating different glycaemic parameters, surrogate vascular markers and harder clinical outcomes will refine our understanding of the roles of such therapies in various subgroups of T1DM patients

Reactions of oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}) leading to the formation of nitric acid (HNO{sub 3}) in non-thermal plasmas (NTPs). White paper for the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) (Compliance Project CP-1038: Development of non-thermal plasma reactor technology for control of atmospheric emissions)

SERDP Compliance Project CP-1038 (Development of Non-Thermal Plasma Reactor Technology for Control of Atmospheric Emissions) has been commissioned to evaluate and develop non-thermal plasma (NTP) reactor technology, a form of low-temperature plasma chemical processing, for Department of Defense (DoD) applications. The primary emphasis is on the control of emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}), with a secondary emphasis on hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emission control (primarily volatile organic compounds--VOCs). In this white paper, as a SERDP-requested deliverable, the authors will verify the NO{sub x} removal reactions in NTPs, especially those converging on nitric acid (HNO{sub 3}) as a primary reaction product. The benefit of making HNO{sub 3} as a primary terminal de-NO{sub x} product is that it can be easily neutralized by relatively simple caustic (base) scrubbers--although the economics of scrubber systems needs to be compared with the conversion to particles that can be filtered or precipitated. Jet engines also emit a significant amount of SO{sub x} in their exhaust; NTPs also remove SO{sub x} and actually do it more effectively in combination with NO{sub x}. This will not be dealt with in this particular white paper