Characterization of Power Absorption Response of Periodic 3D Structures to Partially Coherent Fields

In many applications of absorbing structures it is important to understand their spatial response to incident fields, for example in thermal solar panels, bolometric imaging and controlling radiative heat transfer. In practice, the illuminating field often originates from thermal sources and is only spatially partially coherent when reaching the absorbing device. In this paper, we present a method to fully characterize the way a structure can absorb such partially coherent fields. The method is presented for any 3D material and accounts for the partial coherence and partial polarization of the incident light. This characterization can be achieved numerically using simulation results or experimentally using the Energy Absorption Interferometry (EAI) that has been described previously in the literature. The absorbing structure is characterized through a set of absorbing functions, onto which any partially coherent field can be projected. This set is compact for any structure of finite extent and the absorbing function discrete for periodic structures

Electrodiffusion Method of Near-Wall Flow Diagnostics in Microfluidic Systems

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.The electrodiffusion technique has been mostly used for the near-wall flow diagnostics on large scales. A novel technique for fabrication of plastic microfluidic systems with integrated metal microelectrodes (called technique of sacrificed substrate) enables us to produce microfluidic devices with precisely shaped sensors for wall shear stress measurements. Several micrometer thick gold sensors built-in a plastic substrate exhibit good mechanical resistance and smoothness. Proper functioning of prepared chips with microsensors has been first tested in various calibration experiments (polarization curve, sensor response to polarization set-up, steady flow calibration, temperature dependence of diffusivity). Our first results obtained for separating/reattaching flow behind a backward-facing step and for gas-liquid Taylor flow in microchannels then demonstrate its applicability for the detection of near-wall flow reversal, the delimitation of flow-recirculation zones, and the determination of wall shear stress response to moving bubbles. Other applications of these sensors in microfluidics (e.g. characterization of liquid films, capillary waves, bubbles or drops) can be also envisaged

Characterization of fluid flow in a microchannel with a flow disturbing step

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.The flow around a flow-disturbing step in a rectangular microchannel is studied by measuring the wall shear rate along the channel, using the electrodiffusion technique and by determining the velocity field using the -PIV method. A parametric study based on the Design of Experiments (DOE) and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was then performed, and the effect of key design parameters on the flow characteristics was numerically investigated using CFD simulations. The computational results are in excellent agreement with the corresponding experimental ones. The CFD simulations cover both the laminar and the turbulent flow regime. It was revealed that in both flow regimes the step height has a major influence on the recirculation length. However, the Reynolds number (Re) value affects the recirculation length only in the laminar region, while the step length seems to have no significant effect compared to the Re and the step height. Finally, new correlations are proposed predicting the length of the bottom recirculation zone with reasonable accuracy and can be used as rough guidelines for the design of microdevices

The deflocculation of kaolin suspensions : the effect of various electrolytes

The deflocculation effect of conventional additives to kaolin suspensions is evaluated from the results standard rheological measurements. Several widely used electrolytes (NaOH, Na2C03, Na2Si03, SHMP = sodium hexametaphosphate, and CMC = sodium salts of carboxymethylcellulose) have been tested. The optimal concentrations of these deffloculants, in respect to reaching the maximum reduction of initial suspension viscosity, are found. The stability of deflocculated kaolin suspensions against sedimentation is evaluated and different aspects of the observed flow enhancement discussed. Inorganic electrolytes are found to be more effective in viscosity reduction, but on the other hand, low-molecular organic CMC additives produce more stable final suspensions.Czech Science Foundation GACR through the contract P101/12/058

Deflocculation of kaolin suspensions - The effect of various electrolytes

Viscosity reduction of aqueous kaolin suspensions by conventional additives (deflocculation) is studied, using standard viscosity measurements. Apparent viscosity at 100 s-1, and flow behavior index n give complex information about changes of viscosity and flow character of deflocculated suspensions. Several widely used deflocculants - electrolytes and polyelectrolytes - are tested in a wide range of concentrations. The optimum concentrations of these deflocculants, which result in minimum apparent viscosity of suspension, are found. Sedimentation stability of deflocculated suspensions is monitored. Inorganic electrolytes are found to be more effective in viscosity reduction. On the other hand, low-molecular-weight polyelectrolytes produce more stable final suspensions.The support by Czech Science Foundation GACR through the contract P101/12/0585 is gratefully acknowledged

The role of estrogens in cardiovascular disease

Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu”, Chişinău, Republica MoldovaIntroduction. Epidemiological studies have shown that 17beta-estradiol (E2) levels are inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in post-menopausal women. This indicates that estrogens have a possible implication in CVD pathogenesis, through their genomic and nongenomic mechanisms of action. Aim of study. Highlighting the role of estrogens and estrogen receptors in cardiovascular disease pathophysiology. Methods and materials. Publications from the last 5 years, from specialized journals of the PubMed databases, were selected and analyzed using the following keywords: estrogen, estrogen receptors, genomic and non-genomic mechanisms, cardiovascular disease. Results. Estrogens, through their specific receptors (ERα, ERβ and GPR30s), displayed prominent effects on cardiovascular disease pathogenesis. Evidence suggests their role in the management of systemic and pulmonary arterial hypertension, protecting against atherogenesis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and safeguarding against heart failure with either reduced or preserved ejection fraction (EF). The specific mechanisms of ERα include reducing sympathetic outflow and endothelial dysfunction, decreasing fibrosis and pulmonary vascular remodeling, preserving EF, and enhancing systolic function. ERβ performs by decreasing vasoconstriction, vascular resistance and hypertrophy, mitigating fibrosis and inflammation, reducing apoptosis and preserving mitochondrial integrity, promoting cardiac angiogenesis and normalizing hemodynamic parameters. GPR30s mechanisms of action encompass relaxation of vascular smooth muscle, influence on nitric oxide synthesis, calcium level regulation, modulating cholesterol levels, and minimizing both inflammation and reactive oxygen species production. Conclusion. Estrogens displayed a possible involvement in managing cardiovascular disease, by reducing both the progression and severity of numerous cardiovascular pathologies through various genomic and non-genomic mechanisms of action. Elucidation of cardio protective mechanisms, determined by estrogens and estrogen receptors, will contribute to the development of effective therapeutic strategies for CVD treatment

Modal characterization of thermal emitters using the Method of Moments

Electromagnetic sources relying on spontaneous emission are difficult to characterize without a proper framework due to the partial spatial coherence of the emitted fields. In this paper, we propose to characterize emitters of any shape through their natural emitting modes, i.e. a set of coherent modes that add up incoherently. The resulting framework is very intuitive since any emitter is regarded as a multimode antenna with zero correlation between modes. Moreover, for any finite emitter, the modes form a compact set that can be truncated. Each significant mode corresponds to one independent degree of freedom through which the emitter radiates power. The proposed formalism is implemented using the Method of Moments (MoM) and applied to a lossy sphere and a lossy ellipsoid. It is shown that electrically small structures can be characterized with a small number of modes, and that this number grows as the structure becomes electrically large.Comment: To be presented in European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP 2020

Stability and rheology of dilute TiO2-water nanofluids

The apparent wall slip (AWS) effect, accompanying the flow of colloidal dispersions in confined geometries, can be an important factor for the applications of nanofluids in heat transfer and microfluidics. In this study, a series of dilute TiO2 aqueous dispersions were prepared and tested for the possible presence of the AWS effect by means of a novel viscometric technique. The nanofluids, prepared from TiO2 rutile or anatase nanopowders by ultrasonic dispersing in water, were stabilized by adjusting the pH to the maximum zeta potential. The resulting stable nanofluid samples were dilute, below 0.7 vol.%. All the samples manifest Newtonian behavior with the fluidities almost unaffected by the presence of the dispersed phase. No case of important slip contribution was detected: the Navier slip coefficient of approximately 2 mm Pa-1 s-1 would affect the apparent fluidity data in a 100-μm gap by less than 1%