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Air Taylor bubbles in a millichannel filled with water are characterized by an elongated shape, a bullet-shaped nose and a comparatively flat tail. Many experimental and numerical investigations have been performed in the past. Yet, most of them consider Taylor bubbles in a straight channel with constant cross-section. The effect of a local change in the channel geometry on both the bubble shape and the flow fields on each side of the gas-liquid interface is, however, difficult to predict. In this work, we present experimental data obtained in a vertical millichannel, where the flow is moderately obstructed by a constriction, whose ratio ranges from 10 to 36 %. \rhandrey{We find that the Taylor bubble takes an equilibrium position for downward liquid flow with 264.36 < Re < 529.67 and 264.36 < Re < 728.29 for 10.17 % and 18.06 % constriction ratios, respectively}. In this area, an empirical correlation characterizing the bubble head is provided. Other flow regimes, such as bubble breakup, co- and counter-current configurations are identified and shown in the form of a regime map. The results, besides their relevance in process engineering, exhibit high reproducibility and will serve as reference for future interface resolving two-phase flow simulations.

Gas Taylor bubbles in millichannels are characterized by an elongated shape, bullet-shaped bubbles nose and a comparatively flat bottom. Because of dominant interfacial tension forces, such bubbles occupy most of the cross-sectional area of the tube. There exist many experimental or numerical investigations. Most of them consider Taylor bubbles moving in a straight pipe with constant cross-section, such as a tube or square duct. In this work, we report a new finding for a vertical tube equipped with a geometrical singularity. The dynamics of an individual Taylor bubble in a counter-current flow is presently investigated. We find that a small tube constriction, with only 5 % obstruction, has a significant influence on the flow and interfacial dynamics. Various regimes, characterized for increasing channel obstruction, are here established. High experimental and numerical reproducibility is observed.

Numerical Simulation of Particles in Rising Gas Bubbles

Gas Taylor bubbles in millichannels are characterized by an elongated shape, bullet-shaped bubbles nose and a comparatively flat bottom. Because of dominant interfacial tension forces, such bubbles occupy most of the cross-sectional area of the tube. There exist many experimental or numerical investigations. Most of them consider Taylor bubbles moving in a straight pipe with constant cross-section, such as a tube or square duct. In this work, we report a new finding for a vertical tube equipped with a geometrical singularity. The dynamics of an individual Taylor bubble in a counter-current flow is presently investigated. We find that a small tube constriction, with only 5 % obstruction, has a significant influence on the flow and interfacial dynamics. Various regimes, characterized for increasing channel obstruction, are here established. High experimental and numerical reproducibility is observed.

Data used in the article Equilibrium Taylor bubble in a narrow vertical tube with constriction. Compressed in the 7Z File: Data: Values used for bubble velocity in Fig. 4 and values extracted from the wall shape in the different tubes; Figures: All figures used in the publication; Videos: Videos in mp4 or avi.

Aerosolpartikel liegen in nahezu allen Gasen vor. Die Abscheidung dieser Partikel ist unter anderem bei der Reinigung von Luft von Feinstaub und Viren relevant. Auch in der Verfahrenstechnik reagieren beispielsweise Gase mit Feststoffen, wie bei der Gasphasenpolymerisation. Für Partikel im Größenbereich von 0,1 – 10 µm sind bisher aufgrund zu weniger empirischer Daten keine zuverlässigen Vorhersagen der Prozesse möglich. In diesem Beitrag werden Messungen der Innenströmung einer Blase in verschiedenen, mit Wasser durchströmten Rohren gezeigt. In einem Rohr mit konstantem Durchmesser ist ein langgezogener Wirbel sichtbar. Zur Beeinflussung der Blaseninnenströmung ist in einem Rohr eine Verjüngung eingebracht. Die Verjüngung erzeugt in der Blase einen zweiten Wirbel, welcher die gleiche Rotationsrichtung aufweist. Im Berührungsbereich zwischen beiden Wirbeln treffen entgegengesetzte Strömungen aufeinander.

The principal feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the impaired ability to acquire and express habitual-automatic actions due to the loss of dopamine in the dorsolateral striatum, the region of the basal ganglia associated with the control of habitual behavior. Dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) compensates for the lack of dopamine, representing the standard treatment for different motor symptoms of PD (such as rigidity, bradykinesia and resting tremor). On the other hand, rehabilitation treatments, exploiting the use of cognitive strategies, feedbacks and external cues, permit to "learn to bypass" the defective basal ganglia (using the dorsolateral area of the prefrontal cortex) allowing the patients to perform correct movements under executive-volitional control. Therefore, DRT and rehabilitation seem to be two complementary and synergistic approaches. Learning and reward are central in rehabilitation: both of these mechanisms are the basis for the success of any rehabilitative treatment. Anyway, it is known that "learning resources" and reward could be negatively influenced from dopaminergic drugs. Furthermore, DRT causes different well-known complications: among these, dyskinesias, motor fluctuations, and dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS) are intimately linked with the alteration in the learning and reward mechanisms and could impact seriously on the rehabilitative outcomes. These considerations highlight the need for careful titration of DRT to produce the desired improvement in motor symptoms while minimizing the associated detrimental effects. This is important in order to maximize the motor re-learning based on repetition, reward and practice during rehabilitation. In this scenario, we review the knowledge concerning the interactions between DRT, learning and reward, examine the most impactful DRT side effects and provide suggestions for optimizing rehabilitation in PD.

Ventricular arrhythmias are frequently observed in the elderly population secondary to alterations of electrophysiological properties that occur with the normal aging process of the heart. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to determine specific age-related changes in electrophysiological properties and myocardial structure in the ventricles that can be related to a structural-functional arrhythmogenic substrate. Multiple unipolar electrograms were recorded in vivo on the anterior ventricular surface of four control and seven aged rats during normal sinus rhythm and ventricular pacing. Electrical data were related to morphometric and immunohistochemical parameters of the underlying ventricular myocardium. In aged hearts total ventricular activation time was significantly delayed (QRS duration: +69%), while ventricular conduction velocity did not change significantly compared with control hearts. Moreover, ventricular activation patterns displayed variable numbers of epicardial breakthrough points whose appearance could change with time. Morphological analysis in aged rats revealed that heart weight and myocyte transverse diameter increased significantly, scattered microfoci of interstitial fibrosis were mostly present in the ventricular subendocardium, and gap junction connexin expression decreased significantly in ventricular myocardium compared with control rats. Our results show that in aged hearts delayed total ventricular activation time and abnormal activation patterns are not due to delayed myocardial conduction and suggest the occurrence of impaired impulse propagation through the conduction system leading to uncoordinated myocardial excitation. Impaired interaction between the conduction system and ventricular myocardium might create a potential reentry substrate, contributing to a higher incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in the elderly population.

Cardiac arrhythmias are frequent in the elderly population, perhaps secondary to an increased prevalence of hypertension and coronary artery disease as well as aging related changes resulting in loss of pacemaker cells and degenerative alteration of the conduction system. Independent from underlying structural heart disease, advanced age alone appears to be a risk factor for increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia. However, the electrophysiological basis of this phenomenon is still unclear. Thus, it is important to assess and to define the underlying arrhythmogenic substrate. The aim of the present study was to identify a likely structural-functional ventricular arrhythmogenic substrate in aged hearts. For this purpose ventricular activation patterns were measured in control (n=4) and aged (n=10) in vivo rat hearts by recording unipolar electrograms with an epicardial, 1 mm resolution, 8x8 electrode array, during pacing and spontaneous or induced ventricular ectopic beats. Our results in aged hearts suggest that peripheral conduction system might be involved in perpetuating sequences of ventricular ectopic beats, regardless of their origin.

In this study we appraised three new criteria for the computation of baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) using the transfer function magnitude (TFM) method, with the aim of overcoming the conventional requirement of a coherence > 0.5 between arterial pressure and RR interval time series. Measurements were carried out in a sample of 44 post-myocardial infarction patients at risk of malignant arrhythmias. The three proposed TFM criteria dramatically increased the number of measurable BRSs compared to the traditional coherence-based method and provided substantially equivalent BRS measurements. The agreement between these new indexes and BRS obtained by the phenylephrine test was similar to that of the traditional coherence method., Papers from 23rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, October 25-28, 2001, held in Istanbul, Turkey. See also ADM001351 for entire conference on cd-rom. The original document contains color images.

Turbulent flows subjected to imposed velocity oscillations have been studied experimentally in a water channel. A wide range of forcing conditions have been covered (amplitudes: 10% do 70%, frequencies: omega + = 0,0005 to 0. 25). Velocities u have been measured with LDA and hot-film anemometer. The wall shear-stress tau has been measured with flash mounted hot-films gages calibrated in situ with the LDA. Near wall dye-streak visualisations have also been performed. The phase average of any quantity q (e.g. q=u, q=u'u', q= tau, q= tau' tau', etc.) is decomposed into a time-mean q-bar and a modulation q-wiggle: =q-bar + q-wiggle. It has been confirmed that the time-mean statistical characteristics of the channel flow (between parallel walls unless otherwise specified) are essentially not affected by the imposed oscillations even when these have amplitudes of 64%. It has been shown that the appropriate similarity parameter of the oscillating quantities u and tau is the non-dimensional Stokes length. In the regime of high frequency forcing the oscillating flow is governed by purely viscous shear forces although the time-mean flow is fully turbulent. At lower frequencies, the oscillating flow is influenced by the turbulence, in particular the amplitude of tau increases with respect to the Stokes value and becomes proportional to it. This behavior is explained by the fact that the oscillating flow in confined in the near wall layer where viscous forces are dominant.