Effect of vessel wettability on the foamability of "ideal" surfactants and "real-world" beer heads

The ability to tailor the foaming properties of a solution by controlling its chemical composition is highly desirable and has been the subject of extensive research driven by a range of applications. However, the control of foams by varying the wettability of the foaming vessel has been less widely reported. This work investigates the effect of the wettability of the side walls of vessels used for the in situ generation of foam by shaking aqueous solutions of three different types of model surfactant systems (non-ionic, anionic and cationic surfactants) along with four different beers (Guinness Original, Banks’s Bitter, Bass No 1 and Harvest Pale). We found that hydrophilic vials increased the foamability only for the three model systems but increased foam stability for all foams except the model cationic system. We then compared stability of beer foams produced by shaking and pouring and demonstrated weak qualitative agreement between both foam methods. We also showed how wettability of the glass controls bubble nucleation for beers and champagne and used this effect to control exactly where bubbles form using simple wettability patterns

A Financial Analysis of Seletar Airport

This report presents a financial projection for Seletar Airport until the fiscal year 2027/2028. Currently, Seletar has a negative operating result, but starting at the end of 2018, turboprop traffic will be moved from Changi to Seletar in order to free up capacity at the former. Based on three different traffic development scenarios, the financial impact of the accommodation of commercial passenger traffic at Seletar is analysed. A modest traffic development scenario (410,000 passengers in 2027/2028) leads to a slight increase of the current loss, while scenarios with around 900,000 passengers show substantial financial improvement. Financial projections are especially sensitive to assumptions regarding the development of airport charges and the dependence of non-aeronautical revenues and expenses on passenger development

Dysregulation of the (immuno)proteasome pathway in malformations of cortical development

BACKGROUND: The proteasome is a multisubunit enzyme complex involved in protein degradation, which is essential for many cellular processes. During inflammation, the constitutive subunits are replaced by their inducible counterparts, resulting in the formation of the immunoproteasome. METHODS: We investigated the expression pattern of constitutive (β1, β5) and immunoproteasome (β1i, β5i) subunits using immunohistochemistry in malformations of cortical development (MCD; focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) IIa and b, cortical tubers from patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), and mild MCD (mMCD)). Glial cells in culture were used to elucidate the mechanisms regulating immunoproteasome subunit expression. RESULTS: Increased expression was observed in both FCD II and TSC; β1, β1i, β5, and β5i were detected (within cytosol and nucleus) in dysmorphic neurons, balloon/giant cells, and reactive astrocytes. Glial and neuronal nuclear expression positively correlated with seizure frequency. Positive correlation was also observed between the glial expression of constitutive and immunoproteasome subunits and IL-1β. Accordingly, the proteasome subunit expression was modulated by IL-1β in human astrocytes in vitro. Expression of both constitutive and immunoproteasome subunits in FCD II-derived astroglial cultures was negatively regulated by treatment with the immunomodulatory drug rapamycin (inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which is activated in both TSC and FCD II). CONCLUSIONS: These observations support the dysregulation of the proteasome system in both FCD and TSC and provide new insights on the mechanism of regulation the (immuno)proteasome in astrocytes and the molecular links between inflammation, mTOR activation, and epilepsy

Increased expression of (immuno) proteasome subunits during epileptogenesis is attenuated by inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway

Objective: Inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway reduces epileptogenesis in various epilepsy models, possibly by inhibition of inflammatory processes, which may include the proteasome system. To study the role of mTOR inhibition in the regulation of the proteasome system, we investigated (immuno) proteasome expression during epileptogenesis, as well as the effects of the mTOR-inhibitor rapamycin. Methods: The expression of constitutive (beta 1, beta 5) and immunoproteasome (beta 1i, beta 5i) subunits was investigated during epileptogenesis using immunohistochemistry in the electrical post-status epilepticus (SE) rat model for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The effect of rapamycin was studied on (immuno) proteasome subunit expression in postSE rats that were treated for 6 weeks. (Immuno) proteasome expression was validated in the brain tissue of patients who had SE or drug-resistant TLE and the effect of rapamycin was studied in primary human astrocyte cultures. Results: In post-SE rats, increased (immuno) proteasome expression was detected throughout epileptogenesis in neurons and astrocytes within the hippocampus and piriform cortex and was most evident in rats that developed a progressive form of epilepsy. Rapamycin-treated post-SE rats had reduced (immuno) proteasome protein expression and a lower number of spontaneous seizures compared to vehicle-treated rats. (Immuno) proteasome expression was also increased in neurons and astrocytes within the human hippocampus after SE and in patients with drug-resistant TLE. In vitro studies using cultured human astrocytes showed that interleukin (IL)-1 beta-induced (immuno) proteasome gene expression could be attenuated by rapamycin. Significance: Because dysregulation of the (immuno) proteasome system is observed before the occurrence of spontaneous seizures in rats, is associated with progression of epilepsy, and can be modulated via the mTOR pathway, it may represent an interesting novel target for drug treatment in epileps

Airport Charges – Interactions between Airlines and Airports

Author's accepted version (post-print).This article is © Emerald Publishing Limited and permission has been granted for this version to appear here http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2455948. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/ distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.acceptedVersio