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Patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) require close monitoring to achieve the goal of sustained disease remission. Telehealth can facilitate continuous care while relieving scarce healthcare resources. In a mixed-methods proof-of-concept study, we investigated a hybrid telehealth care axSpA pathway in patients with stable disease over 6 months. Patients used a medical app to document disease activity (BASDAI and PtGA bi-weekly, flare questionnaire weekly). To enable a remote ASDAS-CRP (TELE-ASDAS-CRP), patients used a capillary self-sampling device at home. Monitoring results were discussed and a decision was reached via shared decision-making whether a pre-planned 3-month on-site appointment (T3) was necessary. Ten patients completed the study, and eight patients also completed additional telephone interviews. Questionnaire adherence was high; BASDAI (82.3%), flares (74.8%) and all patients successfully completed the TELE-ASDAS-CRP for the T3 evaluation. At T3, 9/10 patients were in remission or low disease activity and all patients declined the offer of an optional T3 on-site appointment. Patient acceptance of all study components was high with a net promoter score (NPS) of +50% (mean NPS 8.8 ± 1.5) for self-sampling, +70% (mean NPS 9.0 ± 1.6) for the electronic questionnaires and +90% for the T3 teleconsultation (mean NPS 9.7 ± 0.6). In interviews, patients reported benefits such as a better overview of their condition, ease of use of telehealth tools, greater autonomy, and, most importantly, travel time savings. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate a hybrid approach to follow-up axSpA patients including self-sampling. The positive results observed in this scalable proof-of-concept study warrant a larger confirmatory study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Patients referred to rheumatologists are currently facing months of inefficient waiting time due to the increasing demand and rising workforce shortage. We piloted a pre-assessment of patients with suspected axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) combining student-led clinics and telemedicine (symptom assessment, symptom monitoring and at-home capillary self-sampling) to improve access to rheumatology care. The aim of this study was to explore (1) current challenges accessing axSpA care and (2) patients' first-hand experiences. Methods: Embedded within a clinical trial, this study was based on qualitative interviews with patients with suspected axSpA (n = 20). Data was analysed via qualitative content analysis. Results: Student-led clinics were perceived as high-quality care, comparable to conventional rheumatologist-led visits. Patients expressed that their interactions with the students instilled a sense of trust. History-taking and examinations were perceived as comprehensive and meticulous. Telehealth tools were seen as empowering, offering immediate and continuous access to symptom assessment at home. Patients reported a lack of specificity of the electronic questionnaires, impeding accurate responses. Patients requested a comments area to supplement questionnaire responses. Some patients reported receiving help to complete the blood collection. Conclusion: Patients' access to rheumatology care is becoming increasingly burdensome. Pre-assessment including student-led clinics and telemedicine was highly accepted by patients. Patient interviews provided valuable in-depth feedback to improve the piloted patient pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate (1) student-led clinics and (2) electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) to accelerate diagnosis and treatment of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Patients with suspected axSpA completed an initial student-led clinic visit (T-1) prior to their planned actual rheumatologist visit (T0). Acceleration of patient appointment and NSAID therapy start, availability of diagnostic findings, and treatment response at T0 were evaluated. Beginning at T-1, patients completed electronic BASDAI questionnaires every 2 weeks. Concordance of paper-based and electronic BASDAI was evaluated. Patient acceptance of ePRO reporting and student-led clinics was measured using the net promoter score (NPS). 17/36 (47.2%) included patients were diagnosed with axSpA. Student-led clinics (T-1) significantly accelerated patient appointments by more than 2 months (T0, T-1, p < 0.0001) and axSpA guideline-conform NSAID treatment (p < 0.0001). At T0, diagnostic workup was completed for all patients and 7/17 (41.2%) axSpA patients presented with a clinically important improvement or were in remission. 34/36 (94.4%) patients completed at least 80% of the ePROs between T-1 and T0. Electronic and paper-administered BASDAI correlated well (r = 0.8 p < 0.0001). Student-led clinics and ePROs were well accepted by patients with NPS scores of + 62.0% (mean ± SD 9.2/10.0 ± 0.9) and + 30.5% (mean ± SD 8.0/10.0 ± 1.7), respectively. In conclusion, student-led clinics and ePRO monitoring were well accepted, accelerated diagnostic workup and treatment in patients with axSpA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superconducting high entropy alloys (HEAs) may combine extraordinary mechanical properties with robust superconductivity. They are suitable model systems for the investigation of the interplay of disorder and superconductivity. Here, we report on the superconductivity in (TaNb)1-x(ZrHfTi)x thin films. Beyond the near-equimolar region, the films comprise hundreds-of-nanometer-sized crystalline grains and show robust bulk superconductivity. However, the superconducting transitions in these nanocomposites are dramatically suppressed in the near-equimolar configurations, i.e., 0.45 < x < 0.64, where elemental distributions are equivalently homogeneous. Crystal/glass high entropy alloy nanocomposite phase separation was observed for the films in the near-equimolar region, which yields a broadened two-step normal to superconducting transition. Furthermore, the diamagnetic shielding in these films is only observed far below the onset temperature of superconductivity. As these unusual superconducting transitions are observed only in the samples with the high mixing entropy, this compositional range influences the collective electronic properties in these materials. High entropy alloys are multielement materials exhibiting enhanced properties compared to their binary or ternary equivalents. Here, the authors investigate the influence of microstructure and elemental distribution on the transport and superconducting properties of (TaNb)1-x(ZrHfTi)x thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current organ preservation methods provide a narrow window (usually <12 hours) to assess, transport and implant donor grafts for human transplantation. Here we report the transplantation of a human liver discarded by all centers, which could be preserved for several days using ex situ normothermic machine perfusion. The transplanted liver exhibited normal function, with minimal reperfusion injury and the need for only a minimal immunosuppressive regimen. The patient rapidly recovered a normal quality of life without any signs of liver damage, such as rejection or injury to the bile ducts, according to a 1-year follow up. This inaugural clinical success opens new horizons in clinical research and promises an extended time window of up to 10 days for assessment of viability of donor organs as well as converting an urgent and highly demanding surgery into an elective procedure. A human liver is transplanted successfully after preservation for 3 days via machine perfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The van-der-Waals material CrSBr stands out as a promising two-dimensional magnet. Here, we report on its detailed magnetic and structural characteristics. We evidence that it undergoes a transition to an A-type antiferromagnetic state below TN ≈ 140 K with a pronounced two-dimensional character, preceded by ferromagnetic correlations within the monolayers. Furthermore, we unravel the low-temperature hidden-order within the long-range magnetically-ordered state. We find that it is associated to a slowing down of the magnetic fluctuations, accompanied by a continuous reorientation of the internal field. These take place upon cooling below Ts ≈ 100 K, until a spin freezing process occurs at T* ≈ 40 K. We argue this complex behavior to reflect a crossover driven by the in-plane uniaxial anisotropy, which is ultimately caused by its mixed-anion character. Our findings reinforce CrSBr as an important candidate for devices in the emergent field of two-dimensional magnetic materials. A 2D magnet CrSBr has attracted interest for applications in spintronics due to its high critical temperature and interesting magneto-electrical properties. Here the authors report a detailed study of its magnetic and structural phases and uncover a hidden magnetic order inside the magnetically-ordered phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-entropy alloys (HEA) form through the random arrangement of five or more chemical elements on a crystalline lattice. Despite the significant amount of resulting compositional disorder, a subset of HEAs enters a superconducting state below critical temperatures, T c < 10 K. The superconducting properties of the known HEAs seem to suffice a Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) description, but little is known about their superconducting order parameter and the microscopic role of disorder. We report on magnetic susceptibility measurements on films of the superconducting HEA (TaNb) 1 - x (ZrHfTi) x for characterizing the lower and upper critical fields H c,1 (T) and H c,2 (T) , respectively as a function of temperature T. Our resulting analysis of the Ginzburg–Landau coherence length and penetration depth demonstrates that HEAs of this type are single-band isotropic s-wave superconductors in the dirty limit. Despite a significant difference in the elemental composition between the x = 0.35 and x = 0.71 films, we find that the observed T c variations cannot be explained by disorder effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sprouts are germinated seeds that are often consumed due to their high nutritional content and health benefits. However, the conditions for germination strongly support the proliferation of present bacteria, including foodborne pathogens. Since sprouts are consumed raw or minimally processed, they are frequently linked to cases of food poisoning. Therefore, a seed decontamination method that provides efficient inactivation of microbial pathogens, while maintaining the germination capacity and quality of the seeds is in high demand. This study aimed to investigate and compare seed decontamination by cold atmospheric-pressure plasma and low-energy electron beam with respect to their impact on seed and seedling quality. The results show that both technologies provide great potential for inactivation of microorganisms on seeds, while cold plasma yielded a higher efficiency with 5 log units compared to a maximum of 3 log units after electron beam treatment. Both techniques accelerated seed germination, defined by the percentage of hypocotyl and leaf emergence at 3 days, with short plasma treatment (< 120 s) and all applied doses of electron beam treatment (8–60 kGy). However, even the lowest dose of electron beam treatment at 8 kGy in this study caused root abnormalities in seedlings, suggesting a detrimental effect on the seed tissue. Seeds treated with cold plasma had an eroded seed coat and increased seed wettability compared to electron beam treated seeds. However, these effects cannot explain the increase in the germination capacity of seeds as this was observed for both techniques. Future studies should focus on the investigation of the mechanisms causing accelerated seed germination and root abnormalities by characterizing the molecular and physiological impact of cold plasma and electron beam on seed tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal spallation drilling is a contact-less means of borehole excavation that works by exposing a rock surface to a high-temperature jet flame. In this study, we investigate crucial factors for the success of such thermal drilling operations using numerical simulations of the thermomechanical processes leading to rock failure at the borehole surface. To that end, we integrate a model developed for spalling failure with our thermomechanical simulations. In particular, we consider the role of material heterogeneities, maximum jet-flame temperature and maximum jet-flame temperature rise time on the onset of inelastic deformation and subsequent damage. We further investigate differences in energy consumption for the studied system configurations. The simulations highlight the importance of material composition, as thermal spallation is favored in fine-grained material with strong material heterogeneity. The model is used to test the relationship between the jet-flame temperature and the onset of thermal spallation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the economics and viability of accessing deep georesources, we propose a combined thermo–mechanical drilling (CTMD) method, employing a heat source to facilitate the mechanical removal of rock, with the aim of increasing drilling performance and thereby reducing the overall costs, especially for deep wells in hard rocks. In this work, we employ a novel experiment setup to investigate the main parameters of interest during the interaction of a cutter with the rock material, and we test untreated and thermally treated sandstone and granite, to understand the underlying rock removal mechanism and the resulting drilling performance improvements achievable with the new approach. We find that the rock removal process can be divided into three main regimes: first, a wear-dominated regime, followed by a compression-based progression of the tool at large penetrations, and a final tool fall-back regime for increasing scratch distances. We calculate the compressive rock strengths from our tests to validate the above regime hypothesis, and they are in good agreement with literature data, explaining the strength reduction after treatment of the material by extensive induced thermal cracking of the rock. We evaluate the new method's drilling performance and confirm that thermal cracks in the rock can considerably enhance subsequent mechanical rock removal rates and related drilling performance by one order of magnitude in granite, while mainly reducing the wear rates of the cutting tools in sandstone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to preserve metabolically active livers ex vivo for 1 week or more could allow repair of poor-quality livers that would otherwise be declined for transplantation. Current approaches for normothermic perfusion can preserve human livers for only 24 h. Here we report a liver perfusion machine that integrates multiple core physiological functions, including automated management of glucose levels and oxygenation, waste-product removal and hematocrit control. We developed the machine in a stepwise fashion using pig livers. Study of multiple ex vivo parameters and early phase reperfusion in vivo demonstrated the viability of pig livers perfused for 1 week without the need for additional blood products or perfusate exchange. We tested the approach on ten injured human livers that had been declined for transplantation by all European centers. After a 7-d perfusion, six of the human livers showed preserved function as indicated by bile production, synthesis of coagulation factors, maintained cellular energy (ATP) and intact liver structure. Livers are stored long term in a sophisticated perfusion system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine graphite micropowder was processed in a downstream tubular reactor to perform a fast and homogeneous plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of an organosilicon-plasma coating onto the powder surface. As a single process run results in the deposition of a non-continuous coating, consisting of a nanoparticle distribution, on the powder surface, the powder was repeatedly reprocessed until a continuous coating was obtained. The coating was imaged with focused ion-beam scanning electron microscopy and chemically characterized with Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The assessment of the powder flowability was also performed to investigate the roughness of the coated surface. The chemical characterization indicated that the coating is composed of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide with a little oxygen contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the feasibility of a thermally assisted drilling method is investigated. The working principle of this method is based on the weakening effect of a flame-jet to enhance the drilling performance of conventional, mechanical drilling. To investigate its effectiveness, we study rock weakening after rapid, localized flame-jet heating of Rorschach sandstone and Central Aare granite. We perform experiments on rock strength after flame treatments in comparison to oven heating, for temperatures up to 650 ∘C and heating rates from 0.17 to 20 ∘C/s. The material hardening, commonly observed at moderate temperatures after oven treatments, can be suppressed by flame heating the material at high heating rates. Our study highlights the influence of the heating rate on the mechanism of thermal microcracking. High heating rate, flame treatments appear to mostly induce cracks at the grain boundaries, opposed to slow oven treatments, where also a considerable number of intragranular cracks are found. Herewith, we postulate that at low heating rates, thermal expansion stresses cause the observed thermal cracking. In contrast, at higher heating rates, thermal cracking is dominated by the stress concentrations caused by high thermal gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In its orthorhombic Td polymorph, MoTe2 is a type-II Weyl semimetal, where the Weyl fermions emerge at the boundary between electron and hole pockets. Non-saturating magnetoresistance and superconductivity were also observed in Td-MoTe2. Understanding the superconductivity in Td-MoTe2, which was proposed to be topologically non-trivial, is of eminent interest. Here, we report high-pressure muon-spin rotation experiments probing the temperature-dependent magnetic penetration depth in Td-MoTe2. A substantial increase of the superfluid density and a linear scaling with the superconducting critical temperature Tc is observed under pressure. Moreover, the superconducting order parameter in Td-MoTe2 is determined to have 2-gap s-wave symmetry. We also exclude time-reversal symmetry breaking in the superconducting state with zero-field μSR experiments. Considering the strong suppression of Tc in MoTe2 by disorder, we suggest that topologically non-trivial s+- state is more likely to be realized in MoTe2 than the topologically trivial s++ state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An aqueous solution of sodium iodide and zinc iodide is proposed as a fluid that matches the refractive index of a solid manufactured by rapid prototyping. This enabled optical measurements in single-phase flow through porous structures. Experiments were also done with an organic index-matching fluid (anisole) in porous structures of different dimensions. To compare experiments with different viscosities and dimensions, we employed Reynolds similarity to deduce the scaling laws. One of the target quantities of our investigation was the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy. Different models for the dissipation rate estimation were evaluated by comparing isotropy ratios. As in many other studies also, our experiments were not capable of resolving the velocity field down to the Kolmogorov length scale, and therefore, the dissipation rate has to be considered as underestimated. This is visible in experiments of different relative resolutions. However, being near the Kolmogorov scale allows estimating a reproducible, yet underestimated spatial distribution of dissipation rate inside the porous structure. Based on these results, the $$k-\varepsilon$$ model was used to estimate the turbulent diffusivity. Comparing it to the dispersion coefficient obtained in the same porous structure, we conclude that even at $$Re_p=500$$ the turbulent diffusivity makes up only a small part of mass transfer in axial direction. The main part is therefore attributed to Taylor dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method to measure two-dimensional velocity fields inside an artificial foam-like porous structure using particle image velocimetry and a refractive index matching technique to avoid optical distortion. The porous structure is manufactured by stereolithography with the epoxy resin WaterShed XC 11122 as solid material, and anisole is used as refractive index-matched fluid. It was found that the direction of build-up of the stereolithographic structure plays an important role for the quality of the recorded images. The velocity fields measured in this study and the turbulent statistics derived thereof allow to characterize the hydrodynamic performance of the artificial foam-like structure and clarify the mechanisms of mixing. Results from this study compare well to results from a large eddy simulation reported by Hutter et al. (Chem Eng Sci 66:519-529, ) and hence reinforce these simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral behaviour, based on social norms, is commonly regarded as a hallmark of humans. Hitherto, humans are perceived to be the only species possessing social norms and to engage in moral behaviour. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting their presence in chimpanzees, but systematic studies are lacking. Here, we examine the evolution of human social norms and their underlying psychological mechanisms. For this, we distinguish between conventions, cultural social norms and universal social norms. We aim at exploring whether chimpanzees possess evolutionary precursors of universal social norms seen in humans. Chimpanzees exhibit important preconditions for their presence and enforcement: tolerant societies, well-developed social-cognitive skills and empathetic competence. Here, we develop a theoretical framework for recognizing different functional levels of social norms and distinguish them from mere statistical behavioural regularities. Quasi social norms are found where animals behave functionally moral without having moral emotions. In proto social norms, moral emotions might be present but cannot be collectivized due to the absence of a uniquely human psychological trait, i.e. shared intentionality. Human social norms, whether they are universal or cultural, involve moral emotions and are collectivized. We will discuss behaviours in chimpanzees that represent potential evolutionary precursors of human universal social norms, with special focus on social interactions involving infants. We argue that chimpanzee infants occupy a special status within their communities and propose that tolerance towards them might represent a proto social norm. Finally, we discuss possible ways to test this theoretical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality in Western societies. Its risk is inversely correlated with plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and approximately 50% of the variability in these levels is genetically determined. In this study, the aim was to carry out a whole-genome scan for the loci regulating plasma HDL-C levels in 35 well-defined Finnish extended pedigrees (375 members genotyped) with probands having low HDL-C levels and premature CHD. The additive genetic heritability of HDL-C was 43%. A variance component analysis revealed four suggestive quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for HDL-C levels, with the highest LOD score, 3.1, at the chromosomal locus 4p12. Other suggestive LOD scores were 2.1 at 2q33, 2.1 at 6p24 and 2.0 at 17q25. Three suggestive loci for the qualitative low HDL-C trait were found, with a nonparametric multipoint score of 2.6 at the chromosomal locus 10p15.3, 2.5 at 22q11 and 2.1 at 6p12. After correction for statin use, the strongest evidence of linkage was shown on chromosomes 4p12, 6p24, 6p12, 15q22 and 22q11. To search for the underlying gene on chromosome 6, we analyzed two functional and positional candidate genes (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPARD), and retinoid X receptor beta, (RXRB)), but found no significant evidence of association. In conclusion, we identified seven chromosomal regions for HDL-C regulation exceeding the level for suggestive evidence of linkage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The length of the gas bubbles as well as of the liquid slugs in Taylor flow in rectangular microchannels was studied. At constant flow ratios of the gas and the liquid phase, we were able to vary the unit cell length, and therefore the gas bubble length as well as the liquid slug length by factor 4 solely by changing the inlet geometry. Based on literature and experimental data, we state a new correlation to predict the gas bubble length, the liquid slug length as well as the pressure drop for rectangular microchannels. The observed decrease in slug length for the investigated case corresponds to an increase in the Sherwood number and therefore of the mass transfer by a factor of 1.6. Short unit cell lengths, meaning enhanced mass transfer within the liquid slug and increased interfacial area, can be achieved for given flow rates using a small gas inlet channel compared to the main channel and injection in flow direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In this experimental study, we address transport processes in a mixed convective flow over a heated wavy surface. Therefore, we combine digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) and two-color planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) to simultaneously measure the velocity and temperature field. For this, we propose to use the dye combination Rhodamine B and Rhodamine 110, both excited with the Nd:YAG laser also used for the PIV measurements. We investigate the influence of mixed convection over a wavy surface on the velocity field, turbulence statistics, the temperature field and the heat flux. By computing these quantities we find a correlation between the maximum in the Reynolds stress profiles and the components of the heat flux vector, thus regions of maximum momentum and scalar transport coincide. In addition, we apply a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to extract the most dominant flow structures in a measurement plane above the wavy surface. This first POD mode is identified as streamwise-oriented, counter-rotating vortices whose spanwise scaling is also correlated with the maximum of heat flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Simultaneous measurements of the velocity and concentration field in fully developed turbulent flows over a wavy wall are described. The concentration field originates from a low-momentum plume of a passive tracer. PLIF and digital particle image velocimetry are used to make spatially resolved measurements of the structure of the scalar distribution and the velocity. The measurements are performed at three different Reynolds numbers of Re b = 5,600, Re b = 11,200 and Re b = 22,400, respectively, based on the bulk velocity u b and the total channel height 2h. The velocity field and the scalar field are investigated in a water channel with an aspect ratio of 12:1, where the bottom wall of the test section consists of a train of sinusoidal waves. The wavy wall is characterized by the amplitude to wavelength ratio α = 0.05 and the ratio β between the wave amplitude and the half channel height where β = 0.1. The scalar is released from a point source at the wave crest. For the concentration measurements, Rhodamine B is used as tracer dye. At low to moderate Reynolds number, the flow field is characterized through a recirculation zone which develops after the wave crest. The recirculation zone induces high intensities of the fluctuations of the streamwise velocity and wall-normal velocity. Furthermore, large-scale structures are apparent in the flow field. In previous investigations it has been shown that these large-scale structures meander laterally in flows over wavy bottom walls. The investigations show a strong effect of the wavy bottom wall on the scalar mixing. In the vicinity of the source, the scalar is transported by packets of fluid with a high scalar concentration. As they move downstream, these packets disintegrate into filament-like structures which are subject to strong gradients between the filaments and the surrounding fluid. The lateral scale of the turbulent plume is smaller than the lateral scale of the large-scale structures in the flow field and the plume dispersion is dominated by the structures in the flow field. Due to the lateral meandering of the large-scale structures of the flow field, also the scalar plume meanders laterally. Compared to turbulent plumes in plane channel flows, the wavy bottom wall enhances the mixing effect of the turbulent flow and the spreading rate of the scalar plume is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  We describe how outer flow turbulence phenomena depend on the interaction with the wall. We investigate coherent structures in turbulent flows over different wavy surfaces and specify the influence of the different surface geometries on the coherent structures. The most important contribution to the turbulent momentum transport is attributed to these structures, therefore this flow configuration is of large engineering interest. In order to achieve a homogeneous and inhomogeneous reference flow situation two different types of surface geometries are considered: (1) three sinusoidal bottom wall profiles with different amplitude-to-wavelength ratios of α = 2a/Λ = 0.2 (Λ = 30 mm), α = 0.2 (Λ = 15 mm), and α = 0.1 (Λ = 30 mm); and (2) a profile consisting of two superimposed sinusoidal waves with α = 0.1 (Λ = 30 mm). Measurements are carried out in a wide water channel facility (aspect ratio 12:1). Digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) is performed to examine the spatial variation of the streamwise, spanwise and wall-normal velocity components in three measurement planes. Measurements are performed at a Reynolds number of 11,200, defined with the half channel height h and the bulk velocity U B. We apply the method of snapshots and perform a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the streamwise, spanwise, and wall-normal velocity components to extract the most dominant flow structures. The structure of the most dominant eigenmode is related to counter-rotating, streamwise-oriented vortices. A qualitative comparison of the eigenfunctions for different sinusoidal wall profiles shows similar structures and comparable characteristic spanwise scales Λ z  = 1.5 H in the spanwise direction for each mode. The scale is observed to be slightly smaller for α = 0.2 (Λ = 15 mm) and slightly larger for α = 0.2 (Λ = 30 mm). This scaling for the flow over the basic wave geometries indicates that the size of the largest structures is neither directly linked to the solid wave amplitude, nor to the wavelength. The characteristic spanwise scale of the dominant eigenmode for the developed flow over the surface consisting of two superimposed waves reduces to 0.85 H. However, a scale in the order of 1.3 H is identified for the second mode. The eigenvalue spectra for the superimposed waves is much broader, more modes contribute to the energy-containing range. The turbulent flow with increased complexity of the bottom surface is characterized by an increased number of dominant large-scale structures with different spanwise scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews methods of integration of transcriptomics (and equally proteomics and metabolomics), genetics, and genomics in the form of systems genetics into existing genome analyses and their potential use in animal breeding and quantitative genomic modeling of complex traits. Genetical genomics or the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping method and key findings in this research are reviewed. Various procedures and potential uses of eQTL mapping, global linkage clustering, and systems genetics are illustrated using actual analysis on recombinant inbred lines of mice with data on gene expression (for diabetes- and obesity-related genes), pathway, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) linkage maps. Experimental and bioinformatics difficulties and possible solutions are discussed. The main uses of this systems genetics approach in quantitative genomics were shown to be in refinement of the identified QTL, candidate gene and SNP discovery, understanding gene-environment and gene-gene interactions, detection of candidate regulator genes/eQTL, discriminating multiple QTL/eQTL, and detection of pleiotropic QTL/eQTL, in addition to its use in reconstructing regulatory networks. The potential uses in animal breeding are direct selection on heritable gene expression measures, termed “expression assisted selection,” and genetical genomic selection of both QTL and eQTL based on breeding values of the respective genes, termed “expression-assisted evaluation.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we introduce a modified rotating biological contactor (RBC) system and demonstrate its feasibility by applying the newly devised process to the biological treatment of artificial waste gas. In the proposed system, the waste gas is introduced to the bioreactor in the spacings between the rotating discs through a hollow shaft, thus allowing for intimate gas?liquid contact. A 91-l modified RBC containing 20 biofilm support discs 40 cm in diameter was used in the experiments. Toluene was used as the model pollutant, and the system was operated under standard operating conditions for more than one year in order to investigate its long-term performance and assess its ability to control the growth of the biofilm. It was demonstrated that the proposed system allows to efficiently control the growth of the biofilm, thus overcoming the clogging problem inherent in most conventional methods for the biological treatment of waste gas. Moreover, the system was shown to exhibit stationary long-term performance for a period of more than one year, hence indicating its feasibility for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first part of this paper, we introduced a modified rotating biological contactor (RBC) for the biological treatment of waste gas, and demonstrated its feasibility by applying the process to the biodegradation of toluene in a 91-liter reactor containing 20 biofilm support discs with a diameter of 40 cm [1]. We showed that the proposed system allows the unlimited growth of the biofilm to be suppressed, hence eliminating the risk of clogging associated with other biological waste gas treatment systems. Furthermore, we observed stationary long-term performance for more than one year under typical standard operating conditions. In this part of our work, we investigate experimentally the influence of the main process parameters, i.e., gas flow rate, inlet gas concentration, and rotational speed of the biofilm supports on process performance for the same system. Experimental results indicate that the modified RBC system is mass transfer limited for toluene loadings below 150 g/m 3h, whereas at higher inlet concentrations of the pollutant, it becomes limited by the biodegradation reaction inside the biofilm. Surprisingly, the disc rotational speed is found to have no major effect on process performance for the system under investigation. A time-independent mathematical model of the process is also presented, and predictions are compared with experimental degradation data. In the range of the investigation process parameters, good agreement between the experimental data and simulation results is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid crystal thermometry (LCT) was used to quantify temperature fields in a flow over resistively heated waves and assess the effect of the large-scale longitudinal structures that were previously obtained in the velocity field for an isothermal flow (A. Günther and P. Rudolf von Rohr, submitted article, 2002). The wavelength Λ was 10 times larger than the amplitude, and the considered Reynolds numbers were 725 and 3300, defined with the bulk velocity and the half-channel height. A constant heat flux was imposed at the wavy bottom wall. For the first time, LCT was used to determine the fluid temperature in a wall-bounded flow with heat transfer. The dominant spanwise scale obtained from a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the fluid temperature field above an uphill location of the wavy wall was 1.5 Λ. It agrees well with the one previously obtained for a decomposition of the streamwise velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate temperature calibration of fluid-dispersed thermochromic liquid crystal (TLC) particles is an important prerequisite for quantitative liquid crystal thermometry (LCT) measurements in flows. Encapsulated TLCs are subjected to uniform and linear temperature fields and are illuminated with a sheet of white light. A digital camera records the color distribution reflected by the particles. For the first time, a telecentric objective is used to eliminate the angular dependence of the color within the image plane. The paper systematically assesses how the temperature calibration is affected by the angle between the camera axis and the light-sheet plane, and by the properties of the working fluid. The obtained results provide design criteria for quantitative LCT measurements in situations where small spatial variations of the fluid temperature need to be resolved, namely for turbulent heat transfer problems in wall-bounded flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all two-liquid phase bioprocesses are characterized by the presence of surface active materials (biosurfactants), which significantly influence the interaction between the phases. In order to predict mass transfer rates during cultivations of Pseudomonas oleovorans biosurfactant was isolated from the biosuspension and added in defined amounts to n-octane/water model-dispersions. Effects of biosurfactant concentration on interfacial tension, mean Sauter-diameter, drop size distribution, dispersion stability and liquid-liquid mass transfer coefficients were studied. A comparison was made between calculated solvent transfer rates (STR) and measured solvent uptake rates (SUR) of P. oleovorans cultures. With increasing interfacial surfactant concentration interfacial tension and mean Sauter-diameter decreased until a minimum for both, interfacial tension and mean Sauter-diameter, were reached. Interfacial tension measurements indicate that these minima have to be attributed to a maximum monomolecular surfactant concentration and the formation of polymolecular adsorption layers. Drop size distributions showed that, coalescence and droplet break-up disappear because droplets are stabilized by the biosurfactant adsorption layers at the interface. Mass transfer regime shifted from forced convection and surface renewal to diffusion. Comparison of solvent uptake rates (SUR) and solvent transfer rates (STR) showed that n-octane transfer usually will not be limiting P. oleovorans cultures, however, can become dominant in cultures where solvents with very low miscibilities like n-decane are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition has become one of the most important thin film deposition technologies. To avoid direct plasma exposure the substrates may be placed in the remote region. A carrier gas conveys the plasma energy to the deposition area where the reactions with the monomer molecules take place. For the engineering of such a process the modeling of the achievable deposition rate is of great interest. Among different possibilities semiempirical models provide a fast and easily utilizable tool without intensive computer simulations or the necessity of detailed knowledge about the chemistry involved. From deposition experiments with oxygen and an organosilicon monomer (hexamethyldisiloxane, HMDSO) the remote composite parameter is suggested. It combines microwave power, monomer and carrier gas flow rate, and the distance of the substrate from the plasma source. This parameter was derived from the ratio between atomic oxygen and monomer flow rate. In the parameter range considered the deposition rate is described as well ordered and the energy- and monomer-deficient regions are clearly separated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Long-term perfusion of liver grafts outside of the body may enable repair of poor-quality livers that are currently declined for transplantation, mitigating the global shortage of donor livers. In current ex vivo liver perfusion protocols, hyperoxic blood (arterial blood) is commonly delivered in the portal vein (PV). We perfused porcine livers for one week and investigated the effect of and mechanisms behind hyperoxia in the PV on hepatic arterial resistance. Applying PV hyperoxia in porcine livers (n = 5, arterial PV group), we observed an increased need for vasodilator Nitroprussiat (285 ± 162 ml/week) to maintain the reference hepatic artery flow of 0.25 l/min during ex vivo perfusion. With physiologic oxygenation (venous blood) in the PV the need for vasodilator could be reduced to 41 ± 34 ml/week (p = 0.011; n = 5, venous PV group). This phenomenon has not been reported previously, owing to the fact that such experiments are not feasible practically in vivo. We investigated the mechanism of the variation in HA resistance in response to blood oxygen saturation with a focus on the release of vasoactive substances, such as Endothelin 1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO), at the protein and mRNA levels. However, no difference was found between groups for ET-1 and NO release. We propose direct oxygen sensing of endothelial cells and/or increased NO break down rate with hyperoxia as possible explanations for enhanced HA resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) system 2M-WS2 has been identified as a Dirac semimetal exhibiting both superconductivity with the highest Tc ~ 8.5 K among all the TMD materials and topological surface states. Here we report on muon spin rotation (μSR) and density functional theory studies of microscopic SC properties and the electronic structure in 2M-WS2 at ambient and under hydrostatic pressures (pmax = 1.9 GPa). The SC order parameter in 2M-WS2 is determined to have single-gap s-wave symmetry. We further show a strong negative pressure effect on Tc and on the SC gap Δ. This may be partly caused by the pressure induced reduction of the size of the electron pocket around the Γ-point. We also find that the superfluid density ns is weakly affected by pressure. The absence of a strong pressure effect on ns and the absence of a correlation between ns and Tc in 2M-WS2, in contrast to the other SC TMDs Td-MoTe2 and 2H-NbSe2, is explained in terms of its location in the optimal (ambient pressure) and above the optimal (under pressure) superconducting regions of the phase diagram and its large distance to the other possible competing or cooperating orders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A young woman with acute myeloblastic leukemia was successfully treated with three cycles of intensive induction/consolidation chemotherapy in the presence of severe chronic renal failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]