3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry Method: Advances and Error Analysis

A full three-dimensional particle tracking system was developed and tested. By using three separate CCDs placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle, the threedimensional location of particles can be determined. Particle locations measured at two different times can then be used to create a three-component, three-dimensional velocity field. Key developments are: the ability to accurately process overlapping particle images, offset CCDs to significantly improve effective resolution, allowance for dim particle images, and a hybrid particle tracking technique ideal for three-dimensional flows when only two sets of images exist. An in-depth theoretical error analysis was performed which gives the important sources of error and their effect on the overall system. This error analysis was verified through a series of experiments, which utilized a test target with 100 small dots per square inch. For displacements of 2.54mm the mean errors were less than 2% and the 90% confidence limits were less than 5.2 μm in the plane perpendicular to the camera axis, and 66 μm in the direction of the camera axis. The system was used for flow measurements around a delta wing at an angle of attack. These measurements show the successful implementation of the system for three-dimensional flow velocimetry

On imploding cylindrical and spherical shock waves in a perfect gas

The problem of a cylindrically or spherically imploding and reflecting shock wave in a flow initially at rest is studied without the use of the strong-shock approximation. Dimensional arguments are first used to show that this flow admits a general solution where an infinitesimally weak shock from infinity strengthens as it converges towards the origin. For a perfect-gas equation of state, this solution depends only on the dimensionality of the flow and on the ratio of specific heats. The Guderley power-law result can then be interpreted as the leading-order, strong-shock approximation, valid near the origin at the implosion centre. We improve the Guderley solution by adding two further terms in the series expansion solution for both the incoming and the reflected shock waves. A series expansion, valid where the shock is still weak and very far from the origin, is also constructed. With an appropriate change of variables and using the exact shock-jump conditions, a numerical, characteristics-based solution is obtained describing the general shock motion from almost infinity to very close to the reflection point. Comparisons are made between the series expansions, the characteristics solution, and the results obtained using an Euler solver. These show that the addition of two terms to the Guderley solution significantly extends the range of validity of the strong-shock series expansion

Double-detonation supernovae of sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs

In the "double-detonation sub-Chandrasekhar" model for type Ia supernovae, a carbon-oxygen (C + O) white dwarf accumulates sufficient amounts of helium such that a detonation ignites in that layer before the Chandrasekhar mass is reached. This detonation is thought to trigger a secondary detonation in the C + O core. By means of one- and two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, we investigate the robustness of this explosion mechanism for generic 1-M_sun models and analyze its observable predictions. Also a resolution dependence in numerical simulations is analyzed. The propagation of thermonuclear detonation fronts, both in helium and in the carbon-oxygen mixture, is computed by means of both a level-set function and a simplified description for nuclear reactions. The decision whether a secondary detonation is triggered in the white dwarf's core or not is made based on criteria given in the literature. In a parameter study involving different initial flame geometries for He-shell masses of 0.2 and 0.1 M_sun, we find that a secondary detonation ignition is a very robust process. Converging shock waves originating from the detonation in the He shell generate the conditions for a detonation near the center of the white dwarf in most of the cases considered. Finally, we follow the complete evolution of three selected models with 0.2 M_sun of He through the C/O-detonation phase and obtain nickel-masses of about 0.40 to 0.45 M_sun. Although we have not done a complete scan of the possible parameter space, our results show that sub-Chandrasekhar models are not good candidates for normal or sub-luminous type Ia supernovae. The chemical composition of the ejecta features significant amounts of nickel in the outer layers at high expansion velocities, which is inconsistent with near-maximum spectra. (abbreviated)Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, PDFLaTeX, accepted for publication in A&

Assessing the utility of geospatial technologies to investigate environmental change within lake systems

Over 50% of the world's population live within 3. km of rivers and lakes highlighting the on-going importance of freshwater resources to human health and societal well-being. Whilst covering c. 3.5% of the Earth's non-glaciated land mass, trends in the environmental quality of the world's standing waters (natural lakes and reservoirs) are poorly understood, at least in comparison with rivers, and so evaluation of their current condition and sensitivity to change are global priorities. Here it is argued that a geospatial approach harnessing existing global datasets, along with new generation remote sensing products, offers the basis to characterise trajectories of change in lake properties e.g., water quality, physical structure, hydrological regime and ecological behaviour. This approach furthermore provides the evidence base to understand the relative importance of climatic forcing and/or changing catchment processes, e.g. land cover and soil moisture data, which coupled with climate data provide the basis to model regional water balance and runoff estimates over time. Using examples derived primarily from the Danube Basin but also other parts of the World, we demonstrate the power of the approach and its utility to assess the sensitivity of lake systems to environmental change, and hence better manage these key resources in the future

Column-integrated aerosol optical properties from ground-based spectroradiometer measurements at Barrax (Spain) during the Digital Airborne Spectrometer Experiment (DAISEX) campaigns.

The Digital Airborne Imaging Spectrometer Experiment (DAISEX) was carried out for the European Space Agency (ESA) in order to develop the potential of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy for a range of different scientific applications. DAISEX involved simultaneous data acquisitions using different airborne imaging spectrometers over test sites in southeast Spain (Barrax) and the Upper Rhine valley (Colmar, France, and Hartheim, Germany). This paper presents the results corresponding to the column-integrated aerosol optical properties from ground-based spectroradiometer measurements over the Barrax area during the DAISEX campaign days in the years 1998, 1999, and 2000. The instruments used for spectral irradiance measurements were two Licor 1800 and one Optronic OL-754 spectroradiometers. The analysis of the spectral aerosol optical depth in the visible range shows in all cases the predominance of the coarse-particle mode over the fine-particle mode. The analysis of the back trajectories of the air masses indicates a predominance of marine-type aerosols in the lower atmospheric layers in all cases. Overall, the results obtained show that during the DAISEX there was a combination of maritime aerosols with smaller continental aerosols

Specific cellular signal-transduction responses to in vivo combination therapy with ATRA, valproic acid and theophylline in acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) frequently comprises mutations in genes that cause perturbation in intracellular signaling pathways, thereby altering normal responses to growth factors and cytokines. Such oncogenic cellular signal transduction may be therapeutic if targeted directly or through epigenetic regulation. We treated 24 selected elderly AML patients with all-trans retinoic acid for 2 days before adding theophylline and the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00175812; EudraCT no. 2004-001663-22), and sampled 11 patients for peripheral blood at day 0, 2 and 7 for single-cell analysis of basal level and signal-transduction responses to relevant myeloid growth factors (granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-3, Flt3L, stem cell factor, erythropoietin, CXCL-12) on 10 signaling molecules (CREB, STAT1/3/5, p38, Erk1/2, Akt, c-Cbl, ZAP70/Syk and rpS6). Pretreatment analysis by unsupervised clustering and principal component analysis divided the patients into three distinguishable signaling clusters (non-potentiated, potentiated basal and potentiated signaling). Signal-transduction pathways were modulated during therapy and patients moved between the clusters. Patients with multiple leukemic clones demonstrated distinct stimulation responses and therapy-induced modulation. Individual signaling profiles together with clinical and hematological information may be used to early identify AML patients in whom epigenetic and signal-transduction targeted therapy is beneficial

Energy Metabolism in H460 Lung Cancer Cells: Effects of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

BACKGROUND: Tumor cells are characterized by accelerated growth usually accompanied by up-regulated pathways that ultimately increase the rate of ATP production. These cells can suffer metabolic reprogramming, resulting in distinct bioenergetic phenotypes, generally enhancing glycolysis channeled to lactate production. In the present work we showed metabolic reprogramming by means of inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDACis), sodium butyrate and trichostatin. This treatment was able to shift energy metabolism by activating mitochondrial systems such as the respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation that were largely repressed in the untreated controls. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Various cellular and biochemical parameters were evaluated in lung cancer H460 cells treated with the histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis), sodium butyrate (NaB) and trichostatin A (TSA). NaB and TSA reduced glycolytic flux, assayed by lactate release by H460 cells in a concentration dependent manner. NaB inhibited the expression of glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT 1), but substantially increased mitochondria bound hexokinase (HK) activity. NaB induced increase in HK activity was associated to isoform HK I and was accompanied by 1.5 fold increase in HK I mRNA expression and cognate protein biosynthesis. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and pyruvate kinase (PYK) activities were unchanged by HDACis suggesting that the increase in the HK activity was not coupled to glycolytic flux. High resolution respirometry of H460 cells revealed NaB-dependent increased rates of oxygen consumption coupled to ATP synthesis. Metabolomic analysis showed that NaB altered the glycolytic metabolite profile of intact H460 cells. Concomitantly we detected an activation of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). The high O(2) consumption in NaB-treated cells was shown to be unrelated to mitochondrial biogenesis since citrate synthase (CS) activity and the amount of mitochondrial DNA remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: NaB and TSA induced an increase in mitochondrial function and oxidative metabolism in H460 lung tumor cells concomitant with a less proliferative cellular phenotype

Part I: 3DPTV: advances and error analysis. Part II: Extension of Guderley's solution for converging shock waves

This work is divided into two unrelated parts. In the first part, a full three-dimensional particle tracking system was developed and tested. Three images, from three separate CCDs placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle, permit the three-dimensional location of particles to be determined by triangulation. Particle locations measured at two different times can then be used to create a three-component, three-dimensional velocity field. Key developments are the ability to accurately process overlapping particle images, offset CCDs to significantly improve effective resolution, treatment of dim particle images, and a hybrid particle tracking technique ideal for three-dimensional flows when only two sets of images exist. An in-depth theoretical error analysis was performed, which gives the important sources of error and their effect on the overall system. This error analysis was verified through a series of experiments, and a vortex flow measurement was performed. In the second part, the problem of a cylindrically or spherically imploding and reflecting shock wave in a flow initially at rest was examined. Guderley's strong shock solution around the origin was improved by adding two more terms in the series expansion solution for both the incoming and the reflected shock waves. A series expansion was also constructed for the case where the shock is still very far from the origin. In addition, a program based on the characteristics method was written. Thanks to an appropriate change of variables, the shock motion could be computed from virtually infinity to very close to the reflection point. Comparisons were made between the series expansions, the characteristics program, and the results obtained using an Euler solver. These comparisons showed that the addition of two terms to the Guderley solution significantly increases the accuracy of the series expansion