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The development of an effective and reliable sensor with the capability to detect ammonia (NH3) gas at room temperature exerts a significant influence on the sensor industry. The gas sensing performance is notably improved by the formation of a heterostructure between metal oxide with metal sulfides. In this study, pure ZnIn2S4 (ZIS), Cu2O and heterostructures of ZIS with 5, 10 and 20 wt% of Cu2O were successfully prepared using hydrothermal, co-precipitation and heat treatment methods, respectively. A thorough investigation has been carried out to examine the sensing capabilities of all the materials upon exposure to NH3 with different concentrations (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 50 ppm) at room temperature (RT). Impressively, the composite material 0.9ZnIn2S4/0.1Cu2O (ZIS-10) has exhibited remarkable gas sensitivity compared to pristine ZIS and Cu2O towards 25 ppm NH3, low limit of detection (1 ppm) with fast response/recovery times (37/25 sec). The improved performance of the ZIS-10 composite sensor may be ascribed to the synergistic effect between ZIS and Cu2O, which facilitates the electron transfer from ZIS to the Cu2O at the interface. The plausible gas-sensing mechanism and the pathways responsible for enhanced sensing are also discussed in detail., Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public., Team Peyman Taheri

The influence of ageing under ambient conditions on the corrosion protective behaviour of a lithium-based conversion layer on AA2024-T3 is studied in this work. Conversion layers aged at ambient conditions for relatively short times (0 h and 4 h), show an initial high degree of corrosion inhibition but a much lower protectiveness after the inhibition stage terminates. Conversion layers with relatively long ageing times (24 h and 72 h) show a rather stable corrosion resistance which is higher than that of short-time aged samples. It is hypothesized that the freshly-formed conversion layer has trapped a certain amount of lithium ions and water molecules, leading to ongoing and heterogeneous growth of the conversion layer with time under ambient indoor conditions. Moreover, conversion layers with short ageing times show early-stage active corrosion protection by lithium-ion release., Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public., Team Arjan Mol, Team Yaiza Gonzalez Garcia, Team Peyman Taheri

More than 96% of steel in the world is produced via the method of continuous casting. The flow condition in the mould, where the initial solidification occurs, has a significant impact on the quality of steel products. It is important to have timely, and perhaps automated, control of the flow during casting. This work presents a new concept of using contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT) as a sensor for a novel controller, which alters the strength of an electromagnetic brake (EMBr) of ruler type based on the reconstructed flow structure in the mould. The method was developed for the small-scale Liquid Metal Model for Continuous Casting (mini-LIMMCAST) facility available at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. As an example of an undesired flow condition, clogging of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) was modelled by partly closing one of the side ports of the SEN; in combination with an active EMBr, the jet penetrates deeper into the mould than when the EMBr is switched off. Corresponding flow patterns are detected by extracting the impingement position of the jets at the narrow faces of the mould from the CIFT reconstruction. The controller is designed to detect to undesired flow condition and switch off the EMBr. The temporal resolution of CIFT is 0.5 s.

With the ongoing digitalization of industry, imaging sensors are becoming increasingly im-portant for industrial process control. In addition to direct imaging techniques such as those provided by video or infrared cameras, tomographic sensors are of interest in the process indus-try where harsh process conditions and opaque fluids require non-intrusive and non-optical sensing techniques. Because most tomographic sensors rely on complex and often time-multiplexed excitation and measurement schemes and require computationally intensive image reconstruction, their application in the control of highly dynamic processes is often hindered. This article provides an overview of the current state of the art in fast process tomography and its potential for use in industry.

Dataset containing the raw and post-processed data used for in the associated publication. Scripts for evaluating the data are attached.

This paper deals with new power flow formulations for AC distribution networks. The power flow problem is approximated using Laurent’s series expansion method over the product between voltage variables in the power balance equations, which proportionates a mathematical structure similar to the conventional Newton-Raphson method. The proposed model is developed in complex variables, which decreases the number of calculations needed and prevents the transformation of the load flow model into polar coordinates. Numerical results confirm that the proposed method is faster regarding computational time and the total number of iterations required; besides, one of the main advantages of this approach is dealing with radial or mesh grids. All simulations are conducted in the programming environment in MATLAB software., QC 20210406

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Patient deaths resulting from cardiovascular diseases are increasing across the globe, posing the greatest risk to patients in developed countries. Myocardial infarction, as a result of inadequate blood flow to the myocardium, results in irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes which can lead to heart failure. A sequela of myocardial infarction is scar formation that can alter the normal myocardial architecture and result in arrhythmias. Over the past decade, a myriad of tissue engineering approaches has been developed to fabricate engineered scaffolds for repairing cardiac tissue. This paper highlights the recent application of electrically conductive nanomaterials (carbon and gold-based nanomaterials, and electroactive polymers) to the development of scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering. Moreover, this work summarizes the effects of these nanomaterials on cardiac cell behavior such as proliferation and migration, as well as cardiomyogenic differentiation in stem cells.

© 2019, Controlled Release Society. Dexamethasone is a widely used drug in medical and biological applications. Since the systematic and controllable release of this drug is of significant importance, encapsulation of this anti-inflammatory drug in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles can minimize uncontrolled issues. As dexamethasone-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles are synthesized in the presence of organic solvents, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based microchannels collapse due to the swelling problem. In present study, PTFE nanoparticles were used for the surface modification of the microchannels to prevent absorption and adhesion of solvents into the microchannels’ wall. The contact angle analysis of microchips after coating showed that the surface of microchannels bear the superhydrophobicity feature (140.30°) and SEM images revealed that PTFE covered the surface of PDMS, favorably. Then, the prepared microchip was tested for the synthesis of dexamethasone-loaded nanoparticles. SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the synthesized nanoparticles represented that there was not any evidence of adhesion or absorption of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the monodispersity of nanoparticles was discernible. As AFM results revealed, the average diameters of 47, 63, and 82 nm were achieved for flow ratios of 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1, respectively. To evaluate the drug efficiency, cumulative release and encapsulation efficiency were analyzed which showed much more efficiency than the synthesized nanoparticles in the bulk mode. In addition, MTT test revealed that nanoparticles could be considered as a non-toxic material. Since the synthesis of drug-loaded nanoparticles is ubiquitous in laboratory experiments, the approach presented in this study can render more versatility in this regard.

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. To date, a myriad of strategies has been suggested for targeting the chemical signaling of cancer cells. Also, biomechanical features are gaining much more attention. These features can be used as biomarkers which influence cancer progression. Current approaches on cancer treatment are mainly focused on changing the biochemical signaling of cancer cells, whereas less attention was devoted to their biomechanical properties. Herein, we propose targeting of cancer cell mechanics through the microenvironmental mechanical and chemical cues. As such, we examined the role of substrate stiffness as well as the effect of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) blockade in the cell mechanics. As a mechanical stimulus, stiff and soft polydimethylsiloxane substrates were utilized, while as a chemical stimulus, EGFR blockade was considered. Thus, breast cancer cell lines, MCF7 and MDA-MB-231, were cultured among chemical and mechanical groups. The local elasticity of cancer cells was assessed by atomic force microscopy nanoindentation method. Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of mentioned mechanical and chemical treatments on the morphology, actin cytoskeleton structures, and cancer cell migration abilities. The stiffness and migration ability of cancer cells increased by substrate stiffening while Cetuximab treatment demonstrated an elevation in the elastic modulus of cells followed by a reduction in the migration ability. These findings indicate that cancer cell mechanics is modulated not only by the mechanical cues but also by the chemical ones through EGFR signaling pathway. Overall, our results illustrate that manipulation of cell mechanics allows for the possible modulation of tumor cell migration. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 1569–1581, 2019.

In continuous casting, the flow structure of the liquid steel in the mould and the two-phase distribution in the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) are crucial for the quality of the produced steel. In order to effectively control the flow in the mould by electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs) and the injection of gas into the SEN, even a rough knowledge of the flow structure would be very helpful. In the framework of the TOMOCON project, the contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT) and the mutual inductance tomography (MIT) will be integrated into a control loop for slab casters. This control loop will be developed and implemented at the Mini-LIMMCAST facility, which is available at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf. In this paper a short overview of this project will be given., ChemE/Transport Phenomena

Defects in genes mediating thyroid hormone biosynthesis result in dyshormonogenic congenital hypothyroidism (CH). Here, we report homozygous truncating mutations in SLC26A7 in 6 unrelated families with goitrous CH and show that goitrous hypothyroidism also occurs in Slc26a7-null mice. In both species, the gene is expressed predominantly in the thyroid gland, and loss of function is associated with impaired availability of iodine for thyroid hormone synthesis, partially corrected in mice by iodine supplementation.SLC26A7 is a member of the same transporter family as SLC26A4 (pendrin), an anion exchanger with affinity for iodide and chloride (among others), whose gene mutations cause congenital deafness and dyshormonogenic goiter. However, in contrast to pendrin, SLC26A7 does not mediate cellular iodide efflux and hearing in affected individuals is normal. We delineate a hitherto unrecognized role for SLC26A7 in thyroid hormone biosynthesis, for which the mechanism remains unclear.

The European Doctoral Training Network “Smart Tomographic Sensors for Advanced Industrial Process Control (TOMOCON)” gathers academic and industrial partners from different sectors with the mission to develop new fundamentals and technological solutions of advanced industrial control by tomographic sensors. It has received funding by the EU under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie scheme as an Innovative Training Network. It runs from September 2018 to August 2022 with 15 Early Stage Researchers, who are working as PhD students in 10 different European academic institutions. Within their research projects the doctoral students receive an extensive training in various fields of engineering and natural sciences being carried out in the frame of so called secondments at different industrial and academic partners as well as via three dedicated Summer Schools. The network is further supported by an Advisory Board with members from leading institutions in the field of process tomography.

The European Doctoral Training Network “Smart Tomographic Sensors for Advanced Industrial Process Control (TOMOCON)” gathers academic and industrial partners from different sectors with the mission to develop new fundamentals and technological solutions of advanced industrial control by tomographic sensors. It has received funding by the EU under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie scheme as an Innovative Training Network. It runs from September 2018 to August 2022 with 15 Early Stage Researchers, who are working as PhD students in 10 different European academic institutions. Within their research projects the doctoral students receive an extensive training in various fields of engineering and natural sciences being carried out in the frame of so called secondments at different industrial and academic partners as well as via three dedicated Summer Schools. The network is further supported by an Advisory Board with members from leading institutions in the field of process tomography.

In continuous casting, the flow structure of the liquid steel in the mould and the two-phase distribution in the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) are crucial for the quality of the produced steel. In order to effectively control the flow in the mould by electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs) and the injection of gas into the SEN, even a rough knowledge of the flow structure would be very helpful. In the framework of the TOMOCON project, the contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT) and the mutual inductance tomography (MIT) will be integrated into a control loop for slab casters. This control loop will be developed and implemented at the Mini-LIMMCAST facility, which is available at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf. In this paper a short overview of this project will be given.

In continuous casting, the flow structure of the liquid steel in the mould and the two-phase distribution in the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) are crucial for the quality of the produced steel. In order to effectively control the flow in the mould by electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs) and the injection of gas into the SEN, even a rough knowledge of the flow structure would be very helpful. In the framework of the TOMOCON project, the contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT) and the mutual inductance tomography (MIT) will be integrated into a control loop for slab casters. This control loop will be developed and implemented at the Mini-LIMMCAST facility, which is available at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf. In this paper a short overview of this project will be given.

The European Doctoral Training Network “Smart Tomographic Sensors for Advanced Industrial Process Control (TOMOCON)” gathers academic and industrial partners from different sectors with the mission to develop new fundamentals and technological solutions of advanced industrial control by tomographic sensors. It has received funding by the EU under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie scheme as an Innovative Training Network. It runs from September 2018 to August 2022 with 15 Early Stage Researchers, who are working as PhD students in 10 different European academic institutions. Within their research projects the doctoral students receive an extensive training in various fields of engineering and natural sciences being carried out in the frame of so called secondments at different industrial and academic partners as well as via three dedicated Summer Schools. The network is further supported by an Advisory Board with members from leading institutions in the field of process tomography.

In continuous casting, the flow structure of the liquid steel in the mould and the two-phase distribution in the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) are crucial for the quality of the produced steel. In order to effectively control the flow in the mould by electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs) and the injection of gas into the SEN, even a rough knowledge of the flow structure would be very helpful. In the framework of the TOMOCON project, the contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT) and the mutual inductance tomography (MIT) will be integrated into a control loop for slab casters. This control loop will be developed and implemented at the Mini-LIMMCAST facility, which is available at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf. In this paper a short overview of this project will be given.

The European Doctoral Training Network “Smart Tomographic Sensors for Advanced Industrial Process Control (TOMOCON)” gathers academic and industrial partners from different sectors with the mission to develop new fundamentals and technological solutions of advanced industrial control by tomographic sensors. It has received funding by the EU under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie scheme as an Innovative Training Network. It runs from September 2018 to August 2022 with 15 Early Stage Researchers, who are working as PhD students in 10 different European academic institutions. Within their research projects the doctoral students receive an extensive training in various fields of engineering and natural sciences being carried out in the frame of so called secondments at different industrial and academic partners as well as via three dedicated Summer Schools. The network is further supported by an Advisory Board with members from leading institutions in the field of process tomography.

In continuous casting, the flow structure of the liquid steel in the mould and the two-phase distribution in the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) are crucial for the quality of the produced steel. In order to effectively control the flow in the mould by electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs) and the injection of gas into the SEN, even a rough knowledge of the flow structure would be very helpful. In the framework of the TOMOCON project, the contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT) and the mutual inductance tomography (MIT) will be integrated into a control loop for slab casters. This control loop will be developed and implemented at the Mini-LIMMCAST facility, which is available at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf. In this paper a short overview of this project will be given., ChemE/Transport Phenomena

Hydrogels are mainly structures formed from biopolymers and/or polyelectrolytes, and contain large amounts of trapped water. Smart cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogels are the new generation of scaffold which fabricated directly from native cellulose (including bacterial cellulose) via cellulose dissolution. Cellulose has many hydroxyl groups and can be used to prepare hydrogels with fascinating structures and properties. Cellulose hydrogels based on its derivatives, including methyl cellulose (MC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) can be fabricated by various methods. On the basis of the cross-linking method, the hydrogels can be divided into chemical and physical gels. Physical gels are formed by molecular self-assembly through ionic or hydrogen bonds, while chemical gels are formed by covalent bonds. Composite smart hydrogels are prepared using cellulose in conjunction with other polymers through blending, formation of polyelectrolyte complexes, and interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) technology. According to type of superabsorbent cellulose-based hydrogels fabrication methods, there are many various techniques to evaluate quality of them. Briefly, some of these means generally used to assess the hydrogel are described as following. The obtained gel membranes are characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermo gravimetric analysis, and mechanical tests in order to investigate the crosslinking occurrence and modifications of cellulose resulting from the synthetic process, morphology of the hydrogels, their thermal stability, and viscoelastic extensional properties, respectively. This review highlights the recent progress in smart cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogel designs, fabrication approaches and characterization methods, leading to the development of cellulose based smart superabsorbent hydrogels.

© 2017 Taylor & Francis. Tissue engineering has emerged as an alternative treatment to traditional grafts for skin wound healing. Three-dimensional nanofibers have been used extensively for this purpose due to their excellent biomedical-related properties. In this study, high porous 3D poly lactic acid nanofibrous scaffolds (PLA-S) were prepared by wet-electrospinning technique and seeded with rat bone-marrow stem cells (BMSCs) to characterize the biocompatibility and therapeutic efficacy of these fibers on the treating full-thickness dermal wounds. The results of in vitro andin vivo studies indicate that the 3D fibrous PLA-S can be a potential wound dressing for wound repair, particularly when seeded with BMSCs. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT.

© 2017 IEEE. Investigating the fabrication of a favorable scaffold is a continuing sconcern and an essential step within tissue engineering. An ideal scaffold should mimic the structure of extracellular matrix (ECM) which has considerable impacts on its function. To meet this demands, in this study, three-dimensional scaffolds by polylactic acid (PLA) polymer 10%, 13%, 15%, 17% and 20% (w/v) with a novel architecture produced by a wet-electrospinning process have been fabricated and compared with dry-electrospun scaffolds that have been developed for tissue engineering applications. In the wet-electrospinning method, an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (pH∼13) has been used as the coagulation bath instead of the aluminum collector which is used in the dry method. Comparing with usual nanofiber non-woven PLA fabric prepared by a conventional electrospinning method, wet-electrospun spongiform PLA nanofiber scaffolds have low apparent density and high porosity. The porosity of the scaffolds has been examined in this two methods and their mechanical properties as well as their morphology are investigated. All in all, it is shown that the novel nanofiber fabrication system would be amazingly useful for the structure control of the nanofiber fabric.

The measurement of gas-liquid metal two phase flow is a challenging task due to the opaqueness and the high temperatures. For instance, during continuous casting of steel the distribution of argon gas and liquid steel in the submerged entry nozzle is of high interest, since it influences the quality of the produced steel. In this paper we present the results of a feasibility study for applying the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) to detect the outer surface of a liquid metal stream. The results of this study are the basis for the development of a new contactless sensor which should be able to detect the outer shape of a liquid metal using ECT and the bubbles inside the jet at the same time using mutual inductance tomography.

Sustainable industrial production requires the use of advanced sensors and controls. In many industrial activities, the sensing and monitoring of processes provides valuable information for controlling and decision-making strategies as well as supporting the understanding and modeling of the phenomena involved. Since safety and efficiency requirements are continuously growing, the quality of information is becoming more and more important. A current trend to accomplish such requirements is the use of imaging sensors and systems generating and processing multidimensional data to extract key information from the processes. Further work is required to ensure that these imaging technologies are actually providing information that can be easily adapted and used in process control. This requires a holistic look at these sensing methods and data analysis.

We study the quasinormal modes of the massless scalar field of charged black holes embedded in the Randal-Sundrum brane world using the third order WKB approximation. We consider the effects of the electromagnetic and tidal charges on quasinormal frequencies spectrum for charged black hole black holes as well as the effect of the thickness of the bulk., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures

The charged black hole thermodynamics is corrected in terms of the quantum gravity effects. Most of the quantum gravity theories support the idea that near the Planck scale, the standard Heisenberg uncertainty principle should be reformulated by the so-called Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) which provides a perturbation framework to perform required modifications of the black hole quantities. In this paper, we consider the effects of the minimal length and maximal momentum as GUP type I and the minimal length, minimal momentum, and maximal momentum as GUP type II on thermodynamics of the charged TeV-scale black holes. We also generalized our study to the universe with the extra dimensions based on the ADD model. In this framework, the effect of the electrical charge on thermodynamics of the black hole and existence of the charged black hole remnants as a potential candidate for the dark matter particles are discussed., Comment: 16 Pages, 3 figures, Accepted to publish in IJMPA

We study the quasinormal modes of the massless scalar field in asymptotically (A)dS black holes in Lovelock spacetime by using the sixth order of the WKB approximation. We consider the effects of the second and third order of Lovelock coupling constants on quasinormal frequencies spectrum as well as cosmological constant., Comment: 20 pages, 3 Tables, 13 figures, the caption of the tables modified

We study the thermodynamics of the asymptotically flat static black hole in Lovelock back ground where the coupling constants of the Lovelock theory effects are taken into account. We consider the effects of the second order of the coupling constant, and third order of the Lovelock constant coefficient on the thermodynamics of asymptotically flat static black holes. In this case the effect of the coupling constants on the thermodynamics of the black hole are discussed for 5, 6, and 7 dimensional spacetime., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:hep-th/0506227 by other authors

Chloride homeostasis determines the impact of inhibitory synaptic transmission and thereby mediates the excitability of neurons. Even though cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) receive a pronounced inhibitory GABAergic input from stellate and basket cells, the role of chloride homeostasis in these neurons is largely unknown. Here we studied at both the cellular and systems physiological level the function of a recently discovered chloride channel, SLC26A11 or kidney brain anion transporter (KBAT), which is prominently expressed in PCs. Using perforated patch clamp recordings of PCs, we found that a lack of KBAT channel in PC-specific KBAT KO mice (L7-KBAT KOs) induces a negative shift in the reversal potential of chloride as reflected in the GABAA-receptor-evoked currents, indicating a decrease in intracellular chloride concentration. Surprisingly, both in vitro and in vivo PCs in L7-KBAT KOs showed a significantly increased action potential firing frequency of simple spikes, which correlated with impaired motor performance on the Erasmus Ladder. Our findings support an important role for SLC26A11 in moderating chloride homeostasis and neuronal activity in the cerebellum.

In metallurgical processes gas-liquid metal two-phase flows play an important role. The monitoring of single bubbles in a free liquid metal jet is quite challenging due to the high temperature and the opaqueness of the melt. In this paper we investigate the applicability of the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) for imaging the outer surface of a liquid metal strand. The results of this feasibility study are the basis for the development of a new sensor combining ECT for the detection of the outer shape of the jet and mutual induction tomography (MIT) for the detection of bubbles inside the jet at the same time. In order to show the principal applicability, we will present a first static measurement of the level of the eutectic alloy GaInSn in a pipe. An ECT sensor with 12 electrodes was mounted on the outer surface of an acrylic glass pipe with inner diameter of 70 mm. For different levels of liquid metal in the cross section of the sensor, the capacitance was measured and the image was reconstructed. Additionally, we will shorty discuss the challenges of the application of ECT in this setup, such as the wettability of the material of the pipe with liquid metal.

In metallurgical processes gas-liquid metal two-phase flows play an important role. The monitoring of single bubbles in a free liquid metal jet is quite challenging due to the high temperature and the opaqueness of the melt. In this paper we investigate the applicability of the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) for imaging the outer surface of a liquid metal strand. The results of this feasibility study are the basis for the development of a new sensor combining ECT for the detection of the outer shape of the jet and mutual induction tomography (MIT) for the detection of bubbles inside the jet at the same time. In order to show the principal applicability, we will present a first static measurement of the level of the eutectic alloy GaInSn in a pipe. An ECT sensor with 12 electrodes was mounted on the outer surface of an acrylic glass pipe with inner diameter of 70 mm. For different levels of liquid metal in the cross section of the sensor, the capacitance was measured and the image was reconstructed. Additionally, we will shorty discuss the challenges of the application of ECT in this setup, such as the wettability of the material of the pipe with liquid metal.

In metallurgical processes gas-liquid metal two-phase flows play an important role. The monitoring of single bubbles in a free liquid metal jet is quite challenging due to the high temperature and the opaqueness of the melt. In this paper we investigate the applicability of the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) for imaging the outer surface of a liquid metal strand. The results of this feasibility study are the basis for the development of a new sensor combining ECT for the detection of the outer shape of the jet and mutual induction tomography (MIT) for the detection of bubbles inside the jet at the same time. In order to show the principal applicability, we will present a first static measurement of the level of the eutectic alloy GaInSn in a pipe. An ECT sensor with 12 electrodes was mounted on the outer surface of an acrylic glass pipe with inner diameter of 70 mm. For different levels of liquid metal in the cross section of the sensor, the capacitance was measured and the image was reconstructed. Additionally, we will shorty discuss the challenges of the application of ECT in this setup, such as the wettability of the material of the pipe with liquid metal.

In metallurgical processes gas-liquid metal two-phase flows play an important role. The monitoring of single bubbles in a free liquid metal jet is quite challenging due to the high temperature and the opaqueness of the melt. In this paper we investigate the applicability of the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) for imaging the outer surface of a liquid metal strand. The results of this feasibility study are the basis for the development of a new sensor combining ECT for the detection of the outer shape of the jet and mutual induction tomography (MIT) for the detection of bubbles inside the jet at the same time. In order to show the principal applicability, we will present a first static measurement of the level of the eutectic alloy GaInSn in a pipe. An ECT sensor with 12 electrodes was mounted on the outer surface of an acrylic glass pipe with inner diameter of 70 mm. For different levels of liquid metal in the cross section of the sensor, the capacitance was measured and the image was reconstructed. Additionally, we will shorty discuss the challenges of the application of ECT in this setup, such as the wettability of the material of the pipe with liquid metal.

Controlling cellular orientation, proliferation, and differentiation is valuable in designing organ replacements and directing tissue regeneration. In the present study, we developed a hybrid microfluidic system to produce a dynamic microenvironment by placing aligned PDMS microgrooves on surface of biodegradable polymers as physical guidance cues for controlling the neural differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). The neuronal differentiation capacity of cultured hiPSCs in the microfluidic system and other control groups was investigated using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) and immunocytochemistry. The functionally of differentiated hiPSCs inside hybrid system's scaffolds was also evaluated on the rat hemisected spinal cord in acute phase. Implanted cell's fate was examined using tissue freeze section and the functional recovery was evaluated according to the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale. Our results confirmed the differentiation of hiPSCs to neuronal cells on the microfluidic device where the expression of neuronal-specific genes was significantly higher compared to those cultured on the other systems such as plain tissue culture dishes and scaffolds without fluidic channels. Although survival and integration of implanted hiPSCs did not lead to a significant functional recovery, we believe that combination of fluidic channels with nanofiber scaffolds provides a great microenvironment for neural tissue engineering, and can be used as a powerful tool for in situ monitoring of differentiation potential of various kinds of stem cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1534-1543, 2016.

Item does not contain fulltext, There is a strong link between cognitive impairment and depression, but up to date it is not clear whether cognitive impairment is 'cause' or 'consequence' of depression. Therefore, we here examined the effect of cognitive impairment induced by permanent occlusion of common carotid arteries, a model known as two-vessel occlusion (2VO), on chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-induced depression-related markers in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 2VO or sham surgery. Sixty days after the surgery, the cognitive function of the rats was tested using the radial arm maze task measuring working and reference memory. Subsequently, the animals were randomly assigned to undergo 21 days of CUS or to stay non-stressed. One week after the last stressor, psychomotor retardation, a feature of depression-like behavior, was assessed using the forced swim test (FST) by measuring time spent on immobility. Plasma amino acid (glutamine, glutamate and glycine) and serum pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin 6) levels, and hippocampus CA1 neuronal damage were measured 24h after FST exposure. Results show that 2VO increased immobility in the FST only when rats had been exposed to CUS. In addition, 2VO surgery intensified the effect of CUS on IL-6, glutamate and glycine levels and increased CA1 hippocampal damage. In conclusion, our findings show that cognitive impairment may predispose to depression by intensifying the effect of stress on depression-related behavioral, biochemical, immunological and neuronal markers.

In the tunneling framework of Hawking radiation, charged massive particle's tunneling in charged non-rotating TeV-Scale black hole is investigated. To this end, we consider natural cutoffs as a minimal length, a minimal momentum, and a maximal momentum through a generalized uncertainty principle. We focus on the role played by these natural cutoffs on the luminosity of charged non-rotating micro black hole by taking into account the full implications of energy and charge conservation as well as the back- scattered radiation., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1206.5621 by other authors

We study the thermodynamics of charged rotating black hole in large extra dimensions scenario where quantum gravity effects are taken into account. We consider the effects of minimal length, minimal momentum, and maximal momentum as natural cutoffs on the thermodynamics of charged rotating TeV-scale black holes. In this framework the effect of the angular momentum and charge on the thermodynamics of the black hole are discussed. We focus also on frame dragging and Sagnac effect of the micro black holes., Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures

Item does not contain fulltext, There is a strong link between cognitive impairment and depression, but up to date it is not clear whether cognitive impairment is 'cause' or 'consequence' of depression. Therefore, we here examined the effect of cognitive impairment induced by permanent occlusion of common carotid arteries, a model known as two-vessel occlusion (2VO), on chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-induced depression-related markers in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 2VO or sham surgery. Sixty days after the surgery, the cognitive function of the rats was tested using the radial arm maze task measuring working and reference memory. Subsequently, the animals were randomly assigned to undergo 21 days of CUS or to stay non-stressed. One week after the last stressor, psychomotor retardation, a feature of depression-like behavior, was assessed using the forced swim test (FST) by measuring time spent on immobility. Plasma amino acid (glutamine, glutamate and glycine) and serum pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin 6) levels, and hippocampus CA1 neuronal damage were measured 24h after FST exposure. Results show that 2VO increased immobility in the FST only when rats had been exposed to CUS. In addition, 2VO surgery intensified the effect of CUS on IL-6, glutamate and glycine levels and increased CA1 hippocampal damage. In conclusion, our findings show that cognitive impairment may predispose to depression by intensifying the effect of stress on depression-related behavioral, biochemical, immunological and neuronal markers.

SLC26A11 (human)/Slc26a11 (mouse), also known as kidney brain anion transporter (KBAT), is a member of the SLC26 anion transporter family and shows abundant mRNA expression in the brain. However, its exact cellular distribution and subcellular localization in the brain and its functional identity and possible physiological roles remain unknown. Expression and immunostaining studies demonstrated that Slc26a11 is abundantly expressed in the cerebellum, with a predominant expression in Purkinje cells. Lower expression levels were detected in hippocampus, olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, and subcortical structures. Patch clamp studies in HEK293 cells transfected with mouse cDNA demonstrated that Slc26a11 can function as a chloride channel that is active under basal conditions and is not regulated by calcium, forskolin, or co-expression with cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator. Single and double immunofluorescent labeling studies demonstrated the localization of vacuolar (V) H+-ATPase and Slc26a11 (KBAT) in the plasma membrane in Purkinje cells. Functional studies in HEK293 cells indicated that transfection with Slc26a11 stimulated acid transport via endogenous V H+-ATPase. We conclude that Slc26a11 (KBAT) is prominently distributed in output neurons of various subcortical and cortical structures in the central nervous system, with specific expression in Purkinje cells and that it may operate as a chloride channel regulating acid translocation by H+-ATPase across the plasma membrane and in intracellular compartments.

We show the first clinical results using the level-set-based reconstruction algorithm for electrical impedance tomography (EIT) data. The level-set-based reconstruction method (LSRM) allows the reconstruction of non-smooth interfaces between image regions, which are typically smoothed by traditional voxel-based reconstruction methods (VBRMs). We develop a time difference formulation of the LSRM for 2D images. The proposed reconstruction method is applied to reconstruct clinical EIT data of a slow flow inflation pressurevolume manoeuvre in lung-healthy and adult lung-injury patients. Images from the LSRM and the VBRM are compared. The results show comparable reconstructed images, but with an improved ability to reconstruct sharp conductivity changes in the distribution of lung ventilation using the LSRM.

The expression pattern and regulatory functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) are intensively investigated in various tissues, cell types and disorders. Differential miRNA expression signatures have been revealed in healthy and unhealthy tissues using high-throughput profiling methods. For further analyses of miRNA signatures in biological samples, we describe here a simple and efficient method to detect multiple miRNAs simultaneously in total RNA. The size-coded ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (SL-PCR) method is based on size-coded DNA probe hybridization in solution, followed-by ligation, PCR amplification and gel fractionation. The new method shows quantitative and specific detection of miRNAs. We profiled miRNAs of the let-7 family in a number of organisms, tissues and cell types and the results correspond with their incidence in the genome and reported expression levels. Finally, SL-PCR detected let-7 expression changes in human embryonic stem cells as they differentiate to neuron and also in young and aged mice brain and bone marrow. We conclude that the method can efficiently reveal miRNA signatures in a range of biological samples. © 2011 The Author(s).

Background and aims: We investigated the role of the recently discovered, villous-expressed anion exchanger Slc26a6 (PAT1) and the predominantly crypt-expressed cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) in basal and acid-stimulated murine duodenal HCO3− secretion in vivo, and the influence of blood HCO3− concentration on both. Methods: The proximal duodenum of anaesthetized mice was perfused in situ, and HCO3− secretion was determined by back-titration. Duodenal mucosal permeability was assessed by determining 51Cr-EDTA leakage from blood to lumen. Results: Compared with wild type (WT) littermates basal duodenal HCO3− secretory rates were slightly reduced in Slc26-deficient mice at low (∼21 mm), and markedly reduced at high blood HCO3− concentration (∼29 mm). In contrast, basal HCO3− secretion was markedly reduced in CFTR-deficient mice compared with WT littermates both at high and low blood HCO3− concentration. A short-term application of luminal acid increased duodenal HCO3− secretory rate in Slc26a6-deficient and WT mice to the same degree, but had no stimulatory effect in the absence of CFTR. Luminal acidification to pH 2.5 did not alter duodenal permeability. Conclusions: The involvement of Slc26a6 in basal HCO3− secretion in murine duodenum in vivo is critically dependent on the systemic acid/base status, and this transporter is not involved in acid-stimulated HCO3− secretion. The presence of CFTR is essential for basal and acid-induced HCO3− secretion irrespective of acid/base status. This suggests a coupled action of Slc26a6 with CFTR for murine basal duodenal HCO3− secretion, but not acid-stimulated secretion, in vivo.

A dynamic complex electromagnetic induction imaging technique is developed with the aid of the linear Kalman filter (LKF) for real-time reconstruction of molten metal flow. The forward problem is solved by an edge finite element method. The inverse problem is treated as a state estimation problem. The conductivity distribution is estimated with the aid of the Kalman estimator. The Kalman gain matrix is pre-computed and stored off-line to minimize the on-line computational time. Simulation and experimental tests are reported to illustrate the reconstruction performances in the sense of spatio-temporal resolution in a simplified geometry of the metal flow in continuous casting.

A particularly difficult case in electromagnetic induction tomography (EMT) is to image internal structure at the centre of the object space when the material at the outer regions is conductive. This is because the outer material acts as an electromagnetic screen, which partially excludes the magnetic field from the interior space and hence reduces the sensitivity at the centre. In this paper, we propose a methodology to image the conductivity distribution of an annular object when internal conductive objects are present. Finite element simulations were carried out to investigate how sensor coil outputs change with factors such as the size of internal object with regards to the external one. Linear and non-linear image reconstruction methods are applied to the tomographic data that are collected from a newly developed EMT system and image results are given in the paper .

A dynamic complex electromagnetic induction imaging technique is developed with the aid of the linear Kalman filter (LKF) for real-time reconstruction of molten metal flow. The forward problem is solved by an edge finite element method. The inverse problem is treated as a state estimation problem. The conductivity distribution is estimated with the aid of the Kalman estimator. The Kalman gain matrix is pre-computed and stored off-line to minimize the on-line computational time. Simulation and experimental tests are reported to illustrate the reconstruction performances in the sense of spatio-temporal resolution in a simplified geometry of the metal flow in continuous casting.

A particularly difficult case in electromagnetic induction tomography (EMT) is to image internal structure at the centre of the object space when the material at the outer regions is conductive. This is because the outer material acts as an electromagnetic screen, which partially excludes the magnetic field from the interior space and hence reduces the sensitivity at the centre. In this paper, we propose a methodology to image the conductivity distribution of an annular object when internal conductive objects are present. Finite element simulations were carried out to investigate how sensor coil outputs change with factors such as the size of internal object with regards to the external one. Linear and non-linear image reconstruction methods are applied to the tomographic data that are collected from a newly developed EMT system and image results are given in the paper .

Eddy-current techniques can be used to create electrical conductivity mapping of an object. The eddy-current imaging system in this paper is a magnetic induction tomography (MIT) system. MIT images the electrical conductivity of the target based on impedance measurements from pairs of excitation and detection coils. The inverse problem here is ill-posed and nonlinear. Current state-of-the-art image reconstruction methods in MIT are generally based on linear algorithms. In this paper, a regularized Gauss-Newton scheme has been implemented based on an edge finite-element forward solver and an efficient formula for the Jacobian matrix. Applications of Tikhonov and total variation regularization have been studied. Results are presented from experimental data collected from a newly developed MIT system. The paper also presents further progress in using an MIT system for molten metal flow visualization in continuous casting by applying the proposed algorithm in a real experiment in a continuous casting pilot plant of Corus RD&T, Teesside Technology Centre.

Eddy-current techniques can be used to create electrical conductivity mapping of an object. The eddy-current imaging system in this paper is a magnetic induction tomography (MIT) system. MIT images the electrical conductivity of the target based on impedance measurements from pairs of excitation and detection coils. The inverse problem here is ill-posed and nonlinear. Current state-of-the-art image reconstruction methods in MIT are generally based on linear algorithms. In this paper, a regularized Gauss-Newton scheme has been implemented based on an edge finite-element forward solver and an efficient formula for the Jacobian matrix. Applications of Tikhonov and total variation regularization have been studied. Results are presented from experimental data collected from a newly developed MIT system. The paper also presents further progress in using an MIT system for molten metal flow visualization in continuous casting by applying the proposed algorithm in a real experiment in a continuous casting pilot plant of Corus RD&T, Teesside Technology Centre.