External fuel vaporization study, phase 2

An analytical study was conducted to evaluate the effect of variations in fuel properties on the design of an external fuel vaporizaton system. The fuel properties that were considered included thermal stability, critical temperature, enthalpy a critical conditions, volatility, and viscosity. The design parameters that were evaluated included vaporizer weight and the impact on engine requirement such as maintenance, transient response, performance, and altitude relight. The baseline fuel properties were those of Jet A. The variation in thermal stability was taken as the thermal stability variation for Experimental Referee Broad Specification (ERBS) fuel. The results of the analysis indicate that a change in thermal stability equivalent to that of ERBS would increase the vaporization system weight by 20 percent, decrease oprating time between cleaning by 40 percent and make altitude relight more difficult. An increase in fuel critical temperature of 39 K would require a 40 percent increase in vaporization system weight. The assumed increase in enthalpy and volatility would also increase vaporizer weight by 40 percent and make altitude relight extremely difficult. The variation in fuel viscosity would have a negligible effect on the design parameters

Modeling of premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixing passages

The development of a computer program for the analytical prediction of the distribution of liquid and vapor fuel in the premixing-prevaporizing passage by the direct injection method is described. The technical approach adopted for this program is to separate the problem into three parts each with its own computer code. These three parts are: calculation of the two-dimensional or axisymmetric air flow; calculation of the three-dimensional fuel droplet evaporation; and calculation of the fuel vapor diffusion. This method of approach is justified because premixing passages operate at lean equivalence ratios. Hence, a weak interaction assumption can be made wherein the airflow can affect the fuel droplet behavior but the fuel droplet behavior does not affect the airflow

Analytical modeling of operating characteristics of premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixing passages. Volume 2: User's manual

A user's manual describing the operation of three computer codes (ADD code, PTRAK code, and VAPDIF code) is presented. The general features of the computer codes, the input/output formats, run streams, and sample input cases are described

Involvement of pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's contracture: a novel target for a possible future therapeutic strategy?

Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is a benign fibro-proliferative disease of the hand causing fibrotic nodules and fascial cords which determine debilitating contracture and deformities of fingers and hands. The present study was designed to characterize pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors involved in the pathogenesis, progression and recurrence of this disease, in order to find novel targets for alternative therapies and strategies in controlling DC. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and of growth factors was detected by immunohistochemistry in fibrotic nodules and normal palmar fascia resected respectively from patients affected by DC and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS; as negative controls). Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis and immunofluorescence were performed to quantify the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, interleukin (IL)-1β and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by primary cultures of myofibroblasts and fibroblasts isolated from Dupuytren's nodules. Histological analysis showed high cellularity and high proliferation rate in Dupuytren's tissue, together with the presence of myofibroblastic isotypes; immunohistochemical staining for macrophages was completely negative. In addition, a strong expression of TGF-β1, IL-1β and VEGF was evident in the extracellular matrix and in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in Dupuytren's nodular tissues, as compared with control tissues. These results were confirmed by RT-PCR and by immunofluorescence in pathological and normal primary cell cultures. These preliminary observations suggest that TGF-β1, IL-1β and VEGF may be considered potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of Dupuytren's disease (DD)

An Elusive Z' Coupled to Beauty

By extending the standard gauge group to SU(3)_c \times SU(2)_L \times U(1)_Y \times U(1)_X with X charges carried only by the third family we accommodate the LEP measurement of R_b and predict a potentially measurable discrepancy in A_{FB}^{b} in e^+e^- scattering and that D^0\bar{D}^0 mixing may be near its experimental limit. The Z', which explicitly violates the GIM mechanism, can nevertheless be naturally consistent with FCNC constraints. Direct detection of the Z' is possible but challenging.Comment: 12 pages, plus 1 Postscript figure, uses revtex, Discussion of FCNC extende

Possible involvement of pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors in the pathogenesis of the Dupuytren’s contracture: a novel target for a future therapeutic strategy?

Dupuytren’s contracture (DC) is a benign fibroproliferative disease causing fibrotic nodules and fascial cords with resultant debilitating flexion contracture deformities. The present study was designed to characterize pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors involved in the genesis, progression and recurrence of the disease to optimize therapeutic agents and strategies for controlling Dupuytren’s disease. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other growth factors was detected by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence in the fibrotic nodules and normal palmar fascia resected respectively from patients affected by Dupuytren’s contracture and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (as negative controls). RT-PCR analysis was performed to quantify the expression of TGF-β1, IL-1β and VEGFa in the myofibroblasts and fibroblasts isolated from Dupuytren’s nodules. Histological analysis showed the high cellularity and rate of proliferation of Dupuytren’s tissue with the presence of myofibroblastic isotypes. Our data showed the strong expression of TGF-β1, IL-1β and VEGFa in Dupuytren’s fibromatosis nodules suggesting a direct role of these markers in the onset, progression and recurrence of the disease. Our observations suggest that TGF-β1, IL-1β and VEGFa may be considered potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of Dupuytren’s disease. Moreover, a new innovative therapy may be represented by the combined use of specific inhibitors of these growth factors

Survival analysis in single N2 station lung adenocarcinoma: The prognostic role of involved lymph nodes and adjuvant therapy

Background: Prognostic factors in patients with single mediastinal station (sN2) involvement continues to be a debated issue. Methods: Data on 213 adenocarcinoma patients with sN2 involvement and who had undergone complete anatomical lung resection and lymphadenectomy, were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical and pathological characteristics together with adjuvant therapy (AD) and node (N) status classifications (number of resected nodes (#RN), number of metastatic nodes (#MN), and node ratio (#MN/#RN = NR) were analyzed. Results: Univariable analysis confirmed that age (0.009), #MN (0.009), NR (0.003), #N1 involved stations (p = 0.003), and skip metastases (p = 0.005) were related to overall survival (OS). Multivariable analysis confirmed, as independent prognostic factors, age <66 years and NR with a three-year OS (3YOS) of 78.7% in NR < 10% vs. 46.6% in NR > 10%. In skip metastases, NR (HR 2.734, 95% CI 1.417–5.277, p = 0.003) and pT stage (HR2.136, 95% CI 1.001–4.557, p = 0.050) were confirmed as independent prognostic factors. AD did not influence the OS of patients with singular positive lymph nodes (p = 0.41), while in patients with multiple lymph nodes and AD, a significantly better 3YOS was demonstrated, i.e., 49.1% vs. 30% (p = 0.004). In patients with N2 + N1 involvement, age (p = 0.002) and AD (p = 0.022) were favorable prognostic factors. Conclusions: Adenocarcinoma patients with single N2 station involvement had a favorable outcome in the case of skip metastases and low NR. Adjuvant therapy improves survival with multiple nodal involvement, while its role in single node involvement should be clarified

R_b and New Physics: A Comprehensive Analysis

We survey the implications for new physics of the discrepancy between the LEP measurement of $R_b$ and its Standard Model prediction. Two broad classes of models are considered: ($i$) those in which new Z\bbar b couplings arise at tree level, through $Z$ or $b$-quark mixing with new particles, and ($ii$) those in which new scalars and fermions alter the Z \bbar b vertex at one loop. We keep our analysis as general as possible in order to systematically determine what kinds of features can produce corrections to $R_b$ of the right sign and magnitude. We are able to identify several successful mechanisms, which include most of those which have been recently been proposed in the literature, as well as some earlier proposals (\eg\ supersymmetric models). By seeing how such models appear as special cases of our general treatment we are able to shed light on the reason for, and the robustness of, their ability to explain $R_b$.Comment: 60 pages, 8 figures, plain tex, uses epsf. Final version to appear in Phys. Rev. D; propgating sign error corrected in eqs. 78, 87, 88, 89, 98, and 107; results unchange

Examination of direct-photon and pion production in proton-nucleon collisions

We present a study of inclusive direct-photon and pion production in hadronic interactions, focusing on a comparison of the ratio of gamma/pi0 yields with expectations from next-to-leading order perturbative QCD (NLO pQCD). We also examine the impact of a phenomenological model involving k_T smearing (which approximates effects of additional soft-gluon emission) on absolute predictions for photon and pion production and their ratio.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures. Minor changes in wording and in figure

Single top production at the LHC as a probe of R parity violation

We investigate the potential of the LHC to probe the R parity violating couplings involving the third generation by considering single top production. This study is based on particle level event generation for both signal and background, interfaced to a simplified simulation of the ATLAS detector.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables (LaTeX, style revtex), few references adde