MODELING OF A METHANE FUELLED DIRECT CARBON FUEL CELL SYSTEM

ABSTRACT Energy conversion today is subject to high thermodynamic losses. About 50 to 90 % of the exergy of primary fuels is lost during conversion into power or heat. The fast increasing world energy demand makes a further increase of conversion efficiencies inevitable. The substantial thermodynamic losses (exergy losses of 20 to 30 %) of thermal fuel conversion will limit future improvements of power plant efficiencies. Electrochemical conversion of fuel enables fuel conversion with minimum losses. Various fuel cell systems have been investigated at the Delft University of Technology during the past twenty years. It appeared that exergy analyses can be very helpful in understanding the extent and causes of thermodynamic losses in fuel cell systems. More than 50 % of the losses in high temperature fuel cell (MCFC and SOFC) systems can be caused by heat transfer. Therefore system optimisation must focus on reducing the need for heat transfer as well as improving the conditions for the unavoidable heat transfer. Various options for reducing the need for heat transfer are discussed in this paper. High temperature fuel cells, eventually integrated into gas turbine processes, can replace the combustion process in future power plants. High temperature fuel cells will be necessary to obtain conversion efficiencies up to 80 % in case of large scale electricity production in the future. The introduction of fuel cells is considered to be a first step in the integration of electrochemical conversion in future energy conversion systems. Keywords: Fuel cell systems; Exergy analysis; Thermodynamic analysis; System modelling; Cycle Tempo; PEMFC; MCFC; SOFC; Applications INTRODUCTION Today our world strongly depends on the availability of energy for almost all of their activities. Total energy demand is growing fast, in particular due to the development of the large Asian countries. To ensure our future energy supply the losses of energy conversion have to be reduced and the utilisation of available sources, in particular renewable sources, should be stimulated. Conversion of primary fuels into electricity, power, heat or secondary fuels is necessary to fulfil our energy demands. These conversions are involved with substantial thermodynamic losses. These losses should be presented as exergy losses to get a true representation of the thermodynamic performance of conversion systems. Exergy is the potential to obtain work from an amount of energy or from an energy flow; exergy values do represent a true yardstick for all relevant thermodynamic characteristics Exergy efficiencies are some percentage points lower than thermal efficiencies (based on the lower heating value of the fuel) in case of the conversion of primary energy into power. As thermal efficiencies of less than 50 % are normal practice exergy losses will on average be higher than 50 %. Thermal efficiencies are in general high (around 90 % or more) in case of heat generating systems, but exergy efficiencies are much lower depending on the temperature level at which i

Development of a multiplexed activity-based protein profiling assay to evaluate activity of endocannabinoid hydrolase inhibitors

Endocannabinoids, an important class of signaling lipids involved in health and disease, are predominantly synthesized and metabolized by enzymes of the serine hydrolase superfamily. Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) using fluorescent probes, such as fluorophosphonate (FP)-TAMRA and β-lactone-based MB064, enables drug discovery activities for serine hydrolases. FP TAMRA and MB064 have distinct, albeit partially overlapping, target profiles, but cannot be used in conjunction due to overlapping excitation/emission spectra. We therefore synthesized a novel FP-probe with a green BODIPY as fluorescent tag and studied its labeling profile in mouse proteomes. Surprisingly, we found that the reporter tag plays an important role in the binding potency and selectivity of the probe. A multiplexed ABPP-assay was developed in which a probe cocktail of FP-BODIPY and MB064 visualized most endocannabinoid serine hydrolases in mouse brain proteomes in a single experiment. The multiplexed ABPP-assay was employed to profile endocannabinoid hydrolase inhibitor activity and selectivity in mouse brain

Інтеграційні процеси в паливно-енергетичному комплексі як фактор забезпечення екологічної безпеки

Challenge tests stress homeostasis and may reveal deviations in health that remain masked under unchallenged conditions. Ideally, challenge tests are non-invasive and applicable in an early phase of an animal experiment. Oxygen restriction (OxR; based on ambient, mild normobaric hypoxia) is a non-invasive challenge test that measures the flexibility to adapt metabolism. Metabolic inflexibility is one of the hallmarks of the metabolic syndrome. To test whether OxR can be used to reveal early diet-induced health effects, we exposed mice to a low-fat (LF) or high-fat (HF) diet for only 5 days. The response to OxR was assessed by calorimetric measurements, followed by analysis of gene expression in liver and epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) and serum markers for e.g. protein glycation and oxidation. Although HF feeding increased body weight, HF and LF mice did not differ in indirect calorimetric values under normoxic conditions and in a fasting state. Exposure to OxR; however, increased oxygen consumption and lipid oxidation in HF mice versus LF mice. Furthermore, OxR induced gluconeogenesis and an antioxidant response in the liver of HF mice, whereas it induced de novo lipogenesis and an antioxidant response in eWAT of LF mice, indicating that HF and LF mice differed in their adaptation to OxR. OxR also increased serum markers of protein glycation and oxidation in HF mice, whereas these changes were absent in LF mice. Cumulatively, OxR is a promising new method to test food products on potential beneficial effects for human health

Dual allosteric and orthosteric pharmacology of synthetic analog cannabidiol-dimethylheptyl, but not cannabidiol, on the cannabinoid CB2 receptor

Cannabinoid CB2 receptor (CB2R) is a class A G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) involved in a broad spectrum of physiological processes and pathological conditions. For that reason, targeting CB2R might provide therapeutic opportunities in neurodegenerative disorders, neuropathic pain, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. The main components from Cannabis sativa, such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have been therapeutically exploited and synthetically-derived analogs have been generated. One example is cannabidiol-dimethylheptyl (CBD-DMH), which exhibits anti-inflammatory effects. Nevertheless, its pharmacological mechanism of action is not yet fully understood and is hypothesized for multiple targets, including CB2R. The aim of this study was to further investigate the molecular pharmacology of CBD-DMH on CB2R while CBD was taken along as control. These compounds were screened in equilibrium and kinetic radioligand binding studies and various functional assays, including G protein activation, inhibition of cAMP production and ß-arrestin-2 recruitment. In dissociation studies, CBD-DMH allosterically modulated the radioligand binding. Furthermore, CBD-DMH negatively modulated the G protein activation of reference agonists CP55,940, AEA and 2-AG, but not the agonist-induced ß-arrestin-2 recruitment. Nevertheless, CBD-DMH also displayed competitive binding to CB2R and partial agonism on G protein activation, inhibition of cAMP production and ß-arrestin-2 recruitment. CBD did not exhibit such allosteric behavior and only very weakly bound CB2R without activation. This study shows a dual binding mode of CBD-DMH, but not CBD, to CB2R with the suggestion of two different binding sites. Altogether, it encourages further research into this dual mechanism which might provide a new class of molecules targeting CB2R.Molecular Physiolog

Discovery of Novel Small Molecule Activators of β-Catenin Signaling

Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a major role in embryonic development and adult stem cell maintenance. Reduced activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway underlies neurodegenerative disorders and aberrations in bone formation. Screening of a small molecule compound library with a β-galactosidase fragment complementation assay measuring β-catenin nuclear entry revealed bona fide activators of β-catenin signaling. The compounds stabilized cytoplasmic β-catenin and activated β–catenin-dependent reporter gene activity. Although the mechanism through which the compounds activate β-catenin signaling has yet to be determined, several key regulators of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, including glycogen synthase kinase 3 and Frizzled receptors, were excluded as the molecular target. The compounds displayed remarkable selectivity, as they only induced β-catenin signaling in a human osteosarcoma U2OS cell line and not in a variety of other cell lines examined. Our data indicate that differences in cellular Wnt/β-catenin signaling machinery can be exploited to identify cell type-specific activators of Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Improving lives in three dimensions:The feasibility of 3D printing for creating personalized medical AIDS in a rural area of Sierra Leone

The aim of this feasibility study was to investigate how a 3D printer could be put to its best use in a resource-limited healthcare setting. We have examined whether a 3D printer can contribute to making prostheses, braces, or splints for patients who underwent major limb amputation because of complex wounds, for example, due to burns and subsequent scarring, accidents, conflicts, or congenital abnormalities. During a 3-month period, we investigated the benefits of customized, 3D-printed arm prostheses, splints, and braces in Sierra Leone. Using a handheld 3D scanner and a 3D printer, patient-specific medical aids were designed, manufactured, and tested. Questionnaires regarding patient satisfaction and the functionality of the prostheses were used for a short-term follow-up. Four esthetic prostheses were designed: two prostheses of the hand, one of the forearm, and one of the entire arm. Follow-ups were conducted after 3 to 4 weeks to investigate the quality of the prostheses and to complete a patient questionnaire. Even though the prostheses primarily fulfill esthetic needs, they also exhibit some degree of functionality. In addition, four splints for hands and arms were made to prevent scar contractures after skin transplantation. Finally, a brace for a young boy with kyphoscoliosis was manufactured. The boy has accepted the brace and will be followed up in the months to come. Long-term follow-up is required to prove the sustainability of the 3D-printed brace and prosthetic arms. Further research into how to sustain and refine this project is underway.</p

Породы песчаники – редкие материалы высокой крепости – уникальные фрикционные материалы

Розглядаються питання при підготовці до відпрацювання пологих вугільних пластів на великих глибинах в умовах шахти «Довжанська Капітальна» ТОВ "ДТЕК Свердловантрацит". Проведено дослідження вміщуючих підготовчу виробку порід. Запропоновано можливості проектування комплексного видобутку супутніх корисних компонентів при підготовці Антрацитівського пластів до видобутку.The questions in preparation for mining of shallow coal seams at great depths in the mine "Dolzhanskaya Capital" LLC "DTEK Sverdlovantratsit." Investigations of host rocks of underground working. Suggested the possibility of designing an integrated co-production of useful components in preparation Antratsitovskogo of flat seam to production

Chemical Proteomic Analysis of Serine Hydrolase Activity in Niemann-Pick Type C Mouse Brain

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is considered to be an endogenous protective system in various neurodegenerative diseases. Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) is a neurodegenerative disease in which the role of the ECS has not been studied yet. Most of the endocannabinoid enzymes are serine hydrolases, which can be studied using activity-based protein profiling (ABPP). Here, we report the serine hydrolase activity in brain proteomes of a NPC mouse model as measured by ABPP. Two ABPP methods are used: a gel-based method and a chemical proteomics method. The activities of the following endocannabinoid enzymes were quantified: diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) α, α/β-hydrolase domain-containing protein 4, α/β-hydrolase domain-containing protein 6, α/β-hydrolase domain-containing protein 12, fatty acid amide hydrolase, and monoacylglycerol lipase. Using the gel-based method, two bands were observed for DAGL α. Only the upper band corresponding to this enzyme was significantly decreased in the NPC mouse model. Chemical proteomics showed that three lysosomal serine hydrolase activities (retinoid-inducible serine carboxypeptidase, cathepsin A, and palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1) were increased in Niemann-Pick C1 protein knockout mouse brain compared to wild-type brain, whereas no difference in endocannabinoid hydrolase activity was observed. We conclude that these targets might be interesting therapeutic targets for future validation studies

First results of the FP7 SOAP Project

* About the project * Highlights: Gold OA journals today * Results from the large-scale survey of researcher