1,270 research outputs found
Green synthesis of vanillin: Pervaporation and dialysis for process intensification in a membrane reactor
In the present work, two different membrane processes (pervaporation and dialysis) are compared in view of their utilization in a membrane reactor, where vanillin, which is probably the most important aroma of the food industry, is synthesized in a green and sustainable way. The utilized precursor (ferulic acid, which is possibly a natural product from agricultural wastes) is partially oxidized (photocatalytically or biologically) and the product is continuously recovered from the reacting solution by the membrane process to avoid its degradation. It is observed that pervaporation is much more selective towards vanillin than dialysis, but the permeate flux of dialysis is much higher. Furthermore, dialysis can work also at lower temperatures and can be used to continuously restore the consumed substrate into the reacting mixture. A mathematical model of the integrated process (reaction combined with membrane separation) reproduces quite satisfactorily the experimental results and can be used for the analysis and the design of the process
Cosmology with two compactification scales
We consider a (4+d)-dimensional spacetime broken up into a (4-n)-dimensional
Minkowski spacetime (where n goes from 1 to 3) and a compact (n+d)-dimensional
manifold. At the present time the n compactification radii are of the order of
the Universe size, while the other d compactification radii are of the order of
the Planck length.Comment: 16 pages, Latex2e, 7 figure
Mass - concentration relation and weak lensing peak counts
The statistics of peaks in weak lensing convergence maps is a promising tool
to investigate both the properties of dark matter haloes and constrain the
cosmological parameters. We study how the number of detectable peaks and its
scaling with redshift depend upon the cluster dark matter halo profiles and use
peak statistics to constrain the parameters of the mass - concentration (MC)
relation. We investigate which constraints the Euclid mission can set on the MC
coefficients also taking into account degeneracies with the cosmological
parameters. To this end, we first estimate the number of peaks and its redshift
distribution for different MC relations. We find that the steeper the mass
dependence and the larger the normalisation, the higher is the number of
detectable clusters, with the total number of peaks changing up to
depending on the MC relation. We then perform a Fisher matrix forecast of the
errors on the MC relation parameters as well as cosmological parameters. We
find that peak number counts detected by Euclid can determine the normalization
, the mass and redshift slopes and intrinsic scatter
of the MC relation to an unprecedented accuracy being
, , ,
if all cosmological parameters are assumed to
be known. Should we relax this severe assumption, constraints are degraded, but
remarkably good results can be restored setting only some of the parameters or
combining peak counts with Planck data. This precision can give insight on
competing scenarios of structure formation and evolution and on the role of
baryons in cluster assembling. Alternatively, for a fixed MC relation, future
peaks counts can perform as well as current BAO and SNeIa when combined with
Planck.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication on Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Nonlinear diffusion & thermo-electric coupling in a two-variable model of cardiac action potential
This work reports the results of the theoretical investigation of nonlinear
dynamics and spiral wave breakup in a generalized two-variable model of cardiac
action potential accounting for thermo-electric coupling and diffusion
nonlinearities. As customary in excitable media, the common Q10 and Moore
factors are used to describe thermo-electric feedback in a 10-degrees range.
Motivated by the porous nature of the cardiac tissue, in this study we also
propose a nonlinear Fickian flux formulated by Taylor expanding the voltage
dependent diffusion coefficient up to quadratic terms. A fine tuning of the
diffusive parameters is performed a priori to match the conduction velocity of
the equivalent cable model. The resulting combined effects are then studied by
numerically simulating different stimulation protocols on a one-dimensional
cable. Model features are compared in terms of action potential morphology,
restitution curves, frequency spectra and spatio-temporal phase differences.
Two-dimensional long-run simulations are finally performed to characterize
spiral breakup during sustained fibrillation at different thermal states.
Temperature and nonlinear diffusion effects are found to impact the
repolarization phase of the action potential wave with non-monotone patterns
and to increase the propensity of arrhythmogenesis
Giant-dipole Resonance and the Deformation of Hot, Rotating Nuclei
The development of nuclear shapes under the extreme conditions of high spin
and/or temperature is examined. Scaling properties are used to demonstrate
universal properties of both thermal expectation values of nuclear shapes as
well as the minima of the free energy, which can be used to understand the
Jacobi transition. A universal correlation between the width of the giant
dipole resonance and quadrupole deformation is found, providing a novel probe
to measure the nuclear deformation in hot nuclei.Comment: 6 pages including 6 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. Revtex
Sorafenib in advanced iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer: efficacy, safety and exploratory analysis of role of serum thyroglobulin and FDG-PET.
Context Radioactive iodine is a crucial tool for treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). In 5% of cases, DTCs lose I-131 avidity and assume an aggressive behaviour. Treatment options for iodine-refractory DTC are limited. We report the experience of off-label use of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sorafenib for treatment of advanced iodine-refractory DTC. Design Patients with progressive DTC refractory to radioactive iodine were treated with sorafenib used off-label independently from their performance status. Primary study end-points were radiological response, progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. Secondary end-points were site-specific radiological response and overall survival (OS). An exploratory analysis of the role of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) was performed. Results A total of 17 patients were included in the study. Median follow-up was 15·5 months. Clinical benefit was obtained in 71% of subjects (30% partial response and 41% stable disease). Sorafenib was mostly well tolerated, but a high incidence of fatal events was reported (three patients died from severe bleeding events and two from cardiac arrest). Median PFS was 9 months. Median OS was 10 months. The best responses were observed in lymph nodes and lung. Baseline Tg levels and the Tg response to treatment were correlated to both radiological response and PFS. Baseline FDG-PET assessment and early FDG-PET response were correlated to radiological response. Conclusions Sorafenib allows morphological disease control in the majority of patients with iodine-refractory DTC. Progression-free survival and overall survival were lower than in previous studies as a consequence of the worse clinical condition of our patients. Sorafenib is mostly well tolerated but could have been responsible for the reported fatal events. Baseline Tg and the Tg response to treatment could be useful for predicting morphological response and clinical outcome. Early FDG-PET response could be helpful for the timely identification of nonresponding patients
Combined biological therapy with lanreotide autogel and cabergoline in the treatment of MEN-1-related insulinomas.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a hereditary syndrome associated with the development of many endocrine tumors, involving mainly pituitary, parathyroids, pancreas, although a proliferative state interests all neuroendocrine system. MEN1 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are multiples and can secrete different hormones. The therapeutic approach is based on surgery which usually is followed by tumor relapse or persistence unless to be highly aggressive. Biotherapy with somatostatin analogs and dopamine agonists could be of great benefit to manage these patients without altering their life quality. We report a case of a 36-year-old MEN1 man affected with multicentric pNETs associated with insulinoma syndrome. Therapy with symptomatic agents (diazoxide), as well as biotherapy (lanreotide, cabergoline) was started. At 6-month follow-up, symptomatic agents were stopped and disease control was only based on lanreotide plus cabergoline. This combined biotherapy was able to control endocrine syndromes and tumor growth. Subsequently, a safer and selective surgical intervention on pNETs was performed. An excellent response to therapy with lanreotide autogel and cabergoline has been observed in a MEN1 patient with pNETs associated with insulinoma syndrome. The potential synergistic effects of lanreotide autogel and cabergoline on insulin-secreting neuroendocrine tumors are discussed
- …