Experimental investigation of small diameter two-phase closed thermosyphons charged with water, FC-84, FC-77 and FC-3283

Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.An experimental investigation of the performance of thermosyphons charged with water as well as the dielectric heat transfer liquids FC-84, FC-77 and FC-3283 has been carried out. The copper thermosyphon was 200 mm long with an inner diameter of 6 mm, which can be considered quite small compared with the vast majority of thermosyphons reported in the open literature. The evaporator length was 40 mm and the condenser length was 60 mm which corresponds with what might be expected in compact heat exchangers. With water as the working fluid two fluid loadings were investigated, that being 0.6 ml and 1.8 ml, corresponding to approximately half filled and overfilled evaporator section in order to ensure combined pool boiling and thin film evaporation/boiling and pool boiling only conditions, respectively. For the Fluorinert™ liquids, only the higher fill volume was tested as the aim was to investigate pool boiling opposed to thin film evaporation. Generally, the water-charged thermosyphon evaporator and condenser heat transfer characteristics compared well with available predictive correlations and theories. The thermal performance of the water-charged thermosyphon also outperformed the other three working fluids in both the effective thermal resistance as well as maximum heat transport capabilities. Even so, FC-84, the lowest saturation temperature fluid tested, shows marginal improvement in the heat transfer at low operating temperatures. All of the tested Fluorinert™ liquids offer the advantage of being dielectric fluids, which may be better suited for sensitive electronics cooling applications and were all found to provide adequate thermal performance up to approximately 30–50 W after which liquid entrainment compromised their performance

“Thanks for letting us all share your mammogram experience virtually” : developing an online hub for cancer screening

Background: The decision around whether to attend breast screening can often involve making sense of confusing and contradictory information on risks and benefits. The Word of Mouth Mammogram e-Network (WoMMeN) project was established to create an online resource to support decision making around breast screening. This paper presents data from our user-centred approach to engaging stakeholders (both health professionals and service-users) in the design of this online resource. Our novel approach involved creating a user-design group within Facebook to allow access to ongoing discussion between researchers, radiographers and existing and potential service-users. Objective: The current study had two objectives. The first was to examine the utility of an online user-design group for generating insight for the creation of online health resources. We sought to explore the advantages and limitations of this approach. The second objective was to analyse what women want from an online resource for breast screening information. Methods: We recruited a user-design group in Facebook, and also posted a survey within the group asking questions around design considerations for an online breast screening hub. Although the membership of the Facebook group varied over time, there were 71 members in the Facebook group at the end point of analysis. We next conducted framework analysis on 70 threads from Facebook and thematic analysis on the 23 survey responses. We focused additional analysis on how the themes were discussed by the different stakeholders within the context of the design group. Results: Two major themes were found across both the Facebook discussion and the survey data: ‘The power of information’, and ‘The hub as a place for communication and support’. Information was discussed as empowering, but also recognised as threatening. Communication and the sharing of experiences were deemed important but there was also recognition of potential miscommunication within online discussion. Health professionals and service-users expressed the same broad concerns, but also showed subtle differences. Importantly, the themes were triangulated between the Facebook discussions and the survey data, supporting the validity of an online user-design group. Conclusions: Online user-design groups afford a useful method for understanding stakeholder needs. In contrast to focus groups, they afford access to users from diverse geographical locations, and traverse time constraints allowing more considered follow-ups to responses. The use of Facebook provides a familiar and naturalistic setting for discussion. Whilst also acknowledging limitations in the sample, this approach has allowed us to understand the views of stakeholders in the user-centred design of the WoMMeN hub for breast screening

Diazoxon disrupts the expression and distribution of βIII-tubulin and MAP 1B in differentiating N2a cells

This study aimed at assessing the effects of diazoxon (DZO), a major metabolite of the insecticide diazinon (DZ), on key cytoskeletal proteins in differentiating N2a neuroblastoma cells. Initial experiments established that sub-lethal concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 μM DZO produced profound inhibition of neurite outgrowth. Densitometric scanning of probed immunoblots of N2a cell lysates demonstrated that DZO had no effect on total β-tubulin levels. However, probing with a monoclonal antibody that recognised specifically the βIII-tubulin isotype revealed that 10 μM DZO induced a significant reduction in the levels of this particular form. Levels of polyglutamylated tubulin were not altered. Exposure to 10 μM DZO also decreased the expression of microtubule associated protein 1B (MAP 1B). However, DZO had no effect on the expression of MAP tau. DZO also failed to affect the levels neurofilament light (NFL) and neurofilament medium (NFM) chain levels. Indirect immunofluorescence demonstrated that the staining of neurites in treated cells was weaker than in the controls for βIII-tubulin. In conclusion, DZO disrupts the microtubule (MT) network affecting the expression and distribution of two specific MT proteins known to be important in neuritogenesis. DZO may contribute to the developmental neurotoxicity seen following exposure to DZ

Estimates of tropical bromoform emissions using an inversion method

Abstract. Bromine plays an important role in ozone chemistry in both the troposphere and stratosphere. When measured by mass, bromoform (CHBr3) is thought to be the largest organic source of bromine to the atmosphere. While seaweed and phytoplankton are known to be dominant sources, the size and the geographical distribution of CHBr3 emissions remains uncertain. Particularly little is known about emissions from the Maritime Continent, which have usually been assumed to be large, and which appear to be especially likely to reach the stratosphere. In this study we aim to reduce this uncertainty by combining the first multi-annual set of CHBr3 measurements from this region, and an inversion process, to investigate systematically the distribution and magnitude of CHBr3 emissions. The novelty of our approach lies in the application of the inversion method to CHBr3. We find that local measurements of a short-lived gas like CHBr3 can be used to constrain emissions from only a relatively small, sub-regional domain. We then obtain detailed estimates of CHBr3 emissions within this area, which appear to be relatively insensitive to the assumptions inherent in the inversion process. We extrapolate this information to produce estimated emissions for the entire tropics (defined as 20° S–20° N) of 225 Gg CHBr3 yr−1. The ocean in the area we base our extrapolations upon is typically somewhat shallower, and more biologically productive, than the tropical average. Despite this, our tropical estimate is lower than most other recent studies, and suggests that CHBr3 emissions in the coastline-rich Maritime Continent may not be stronger than emissions in other parts of the tropics. M. Ashfold thanks the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for a research studentship, and is grateful for support through the ERC ACCI project (project number 267760). N. Harris is supported by a NERC Advanced Research Fellowship. This work was supported through the EU SHIVA project, through the NERC OP3 project, and NERC grants NE/F020341/1 and NE/J006246/1. We also acknowledge the Department of Energy and Climate Change for their support in the development of InTEM (contract GA0201). For field site support we thank S.-M. Phang, A. A. Samah and M. S. M. Nadzir of Universiti Malaya, S. Ong and H. E. Ung of Global Satria, Maznorizan Mohamad, L. K. Peng and S. E. Yong of the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the Sabah Foundation, the Danum Valley Field Centre and the Royal Society. This paper constitutes publication no. 613 of the Royal Society South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/14/979/2014/acp-14-979-2014.html

Quantitative analysis of 3D extracellular matrix remodelling by pancreatic stellate cells

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling is integral to numerous physiological and pathological processes in biology, such as embryogenesis, wound healing, fibrosis and cancer. Until recently, most cellular studies have been conducted on 2D environments where mechanical cues significantly differ from physiologically relevant 3D environments, impacting cellular behaviour and masking the interpretation of cellular function in health and disease. We present an integrated methodology where cell-ECM interactions can be investigated in 3D environments via ECM remodelling. Monitoring and quantification of collagen-I structure in remodelled matrices, through designated algorithms, show that 3D matrices can be used to correlate remodelling with increased ECM stiffness observed in fibrosis. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are the key effectors of the stromal fibrosis associated to pancreatic cancer. We use PSCs to implement our methodology and demonstrate that PSC matrix remodelling capabilities depend on their contractile machinery and β1 integrin-mediated cell-ECM attachment

Using coloured filters to reduce the symptoms of visual stress in children with reading delay

Background: Meares Irlen Syndrome (MIS), otherwise known as “visual stress”, is one condition that can cause difficulties with reading. Aim: This study aimed to compare the effect of two coloured-filter systems on the symptoms of visual stress in children with reading delay. Methods: The study design was a pre-test, post-test, randomized head-to-head comparison of two filter systems on the symptoms of visual stress in school children. A total of 68 UK mainstream schoolchildren with significant impairment in reading ability completed the study. Results: The filter systems appeared to have a large effect on the reported symptoms between pre and post three-month time points (d = 2.5, r = 0.78). Both filter types appeared to have large effects (Harris d = 1.79, r = 0.69 and DRT d = 3.22, r = 0.85). Importantly, 35% of participants’ reported that their symptoms had resolved completely; 72% of the 68 children appeared to gain improvements in three or more visual stress symptoms. Conclusion and significance: The reduction in symptoms, which appeared to be brought about by the use of coloured filters, eased the visual discomfort experienced by these children when reading. This type of intervention therefore has the potential to facilitate occupational engagement