Influence of Stefan blowing on nanofluid flow submerged in microorganisms with leading edge accretion or ablation

The unsteady forced convective boundary layer flow of viscous incompressible fluid containing both nanoparticles and gyrotactic microorganisms, from a flat surface with leading edge accretion (or ablation), is investigated theoretically. Utilizing appropriate similarity transformations for the velocity, temperature, nanoparticle volume fraction and motile microorganism density, the governing conservation equations are rendered into a system of coupled, nonlinear, similarity ordinary differential equations. These equations, subjected to imposed boundary conditions, are solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg fourth-fifth order numerical method in the MAPLE symbolic software. Good agreement between our computations and previous solutions is achieved. The effect of selected parameters on flow velocity, temperature, nano-particle volume fraction (concentration) and motile microorganism density function is investigated. Furthermore, tabular solutions are included for skin friction, wall heat transfer rate, nano-particle mass transfer rate and microorganism transfer rate. Applications of the study arise in advanced micro-flow devices to assess nanoparticle toxicity

Associations of BCL-2 (RS17759659), CTLA-4 (RS231775), APO-1/FAS (RS2234767) genes polymorphisms with activity of proliferation and apoptosis in thyroid tissue of patients with nodular forms of goiter combined with autoimmune thyroiditis and thyroid adenoma

The study of apoptosis and proliferative activity in the thyroid gland (TG) tissue of patients with nodular goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis (NGAIT) and thyroid adenoma (TA) is based on the expression/density of Fas/FasL, BCL-2, p53, and Ki-67 markers assessment depending on the genetic polymorphisms of BCL-2 (rs17759659), CTLA-4 (rs231775) and APO-1/Fas (rs2234767) genes.Several mechanisms of thyroid cells' programmed killing are activated in NGAIT and TA with domination of Fas-induced apoptosis, which strongly associates with the BCL-2 gene's (rs17759659) promoter (F=25.33; p<0.001) and almost six fold weaker associates with the CTLA-4 gene's (rs231775) promoter (F=4.23, p=0.017). Factors that decrease the likelihood of NGAIT and TA regardless of the CTLA-4 (rs231775) and APO-1/Fas (rs2234767) genes' genotypes are the high Ki-67 density and reduction of cells containing p53 or BCL-2 proteins (OR=0.07-0.17; 95% CI OR: 0.03-0.36; p<0.001, and OR=0.08-0.11; 95% CI OR: 0.02-0.31; p<0.001, re­spectively). High expression of surface Fas and FasL in lymphoid infiltration and de­struction of thyroid cells (stronger in GG-genotype carriers of the BCL-2 gene by 18.54% (pAA=0.043) and 36.18% (pAG=0.018), respectively) indicates the initiation of the external pathway of apoptosis through the caspase mechanism (effector caspase- 8)

Impaired complex I repair causes recessive Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most frequent mitochondrial disease and was the first to be genetically defined by a point mutation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). A molecular diagnosis is achieved in up to 95% of cases, the vast majority of which are accounted for by 3 mutations within mitochondrial complex I subunit-encoding genes in the mtDNA (mtLHON). Here, we resolve the enigma of LHON in the absence of pathogenic mtDNA mutations. We describe biallelic mutations in a nuclear encoded gene, DNAJC30, in 33 unsolved patients from 29 families and establish an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance for LHON (arLHON), which to date has been a prime example of a maternally inherited disorder. Remarkably, all hallmarks of mtLHON were recapitulated, including incomplete penetrance, male predominance, and significant idebenone responsivity. Moreover, by tracking protein turnover in patient-derived cell lines and a DNAJC30-knockout cellular model, we measured reduced turnover of specific complex I N-module subunits and a resultant impairment of complex I function. These results demonstrate that DNAJC30 is a chaperone protein needed for the efficient exchange of complex I subunits exposed to reactive oxygen species and integral to a mitochondrial complex I repair mechanism, thereby providing the first example to our knowledge of a disease resulting from impaired exchange of assembled respiratory chain subunits

NESTOR: A neutrino particle astrophysics underwater laboratory for the Mediterranean

Abstract An underwater neutrino astrophysics laboratory, to be located in the international waters off the Southwest of Greece, near the town of Pylos is now under construction. In the last two years a group of physicists from Greece and Russia have carried out two demonstration experiments in 4km deep water, counting muons and verifying the adequacy of the deep sea site. Plans are presented for a 100, 000 m 2 high energy neutrino detector composed of a hexagon of hexagonal towers, with 1176 optical detector units. A progress report is given and the physics potential of a siggle tower with 168 phototubes (currently under construction) is described

Computation of metallic nanofluid natural convection in a two-dimensional solar enclosure with radiative heat transfer, aspect ratio and volume fraction effects

As a model of nanofluid direct absorber solar collectors (nano-DASCs), the present article describes recent numerical simulations of steady-state nanofluid natural convection in a two-dimensional enclosure. Incompressible laminar Newtonian viscous flow is considered with radiative heat transfer. The ANSYS FLUENT finite volume code (version 19.1) is employed. The enclosure has two adiabatic walls, one hot (solar receiving) and one colder wall. The Tiwari-Das volume fraction nanofluid model is used and three different nanoparticles are studied (Copper (Cu), Silver (Ag) and Titanium Oxide (TiO2)) with water as the base fluid. The solar radiative heat transfer is simulated with the P1 flux and Rosseland diffusion models. The influence of geometrical aspect ratio and solid volume fraction for nanofluids is also studied and a wider range is considered than in other studies. Mesh-independence tests are conducted. Validation with published studies from the literature is included for the copperwater nanofluid case. The P1 model is shown to more accurately predict the actual influence of solar radiative flux on thermal fluid behaviour compared with Rosseland radiative model. With increasing Rayleigh number (natural convection i.e. buoyancy effect), significant modification in the thermal flow characteristics is induced with emergence of a dual structure to the circulation. With increasing aspect ratio (wider base relative to height of the solar collector geometry) there is a greater thermal convection pattern around the whole geometry, higher temperatures and the elimination of the cold upper zone associated with lower aspect ratio. Titanium Oxide nano-particles achieve slightly higher Nusselt number at the hot wall compared with Silver nano-particles. Thermal performance can be optimized with careful selection of aspect ratio and nano-particles and this is very beneficial to solar collector designers

ETIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF NONGLAUCOMATOUS OPTIC NEUROPATHIES

Purpose: to study the etiological structure and incidence rate of various genesis optical neuropathies (ON) according to the own observation data. Material and methods. The study is based on the data analysis from a survey of 658 patients (982 eyes) with ON. The results of routine physical examination of all patients were analyzed to determine the genesis of ON. Results. The most common cases of ON were ischemic ON (31.2 % of all cases), as well as optic neuritis (18.3 % of cases). The anterior optic pathway tumor or infiltrative lesions were detected in 9.9 %, dysthyroid ON was found in 7.2 %. Acute and chronic ON with the optic nerve drusen accounted for 12.4 % of all cases of ON, was found in 60.5 % of all patients with the optic nerve drusen. Hereditary ON was found in 10 % of all cases of ON, toxic - in 4,3 % as a result of acute and chronic alcohol intoxication, chronic narcotic poisoning, drug poisoning. Traumatic ON was found in 6.7 % of all cases of ON. Conclusions. The causes of ON are diverse, vary from innate changes to diseases of the optic nerve as a result of serious therapeutic and neurosurgical pathology, which threaten not only the ophthalmologic, but also the life prediction. The patient thorough clinical study is required to determine the disease genesis at the time of ON symptoms identifying

Reprocessing altimeter data records along European coasts: lessons learned from the ALTICORE Project

A coastal-oriented processing strategy has been developedin the Northwestern part of the Mediterranean Sea and hasshowed that improved altimetry in the costal ocean isfeasible and could be extended to other regions. In thiswork, we will provide an overview of current capabilitiesand challenges of existing altimetry products in Black,Caspian, White and Barents seas, in the prospect ofincreasing the quantity and quality of data in these regions.With respect to the work done in the project calledALTICORE (ALTImetry for COastal REgions –www.alticore.eu), the obstacles limiting the use of the dataand the possible areas of improvement are highlighted anddiscussed

Mechanism of contact resistance formation in ohmic contacts with high dislocation density

A new mechanism of contact resistance formation in ohmic contacts with high dislocation density is proposed. Its specific feature is the appearance of a characteristic region where the contact resistance increases with temperature. According to the mechanism revealed, the current flowing through the metal shunts associated with dislocations is determined by electron diffusion. It is shown that current flows through the semiconductor near-surface regions where electrons accumulate. A feature of the mechanism is the realization of ohmic contact irrespective of the relation between the contact and bulk resistances. The theory is proved for contacts formed to III-V semiconductor materials as well as silicon-based materials. A reasonable agreement between theory and experimental results is obtained. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3702850