bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of modifying and veneering the surface of ceramic abutments on cellular attachment and proliferation
Authors: Mustafa Kamal , Wennerberg Ann , Arvidson Kristina , Messelt Edvard Berger , Haag Per , Karlsson Stig
Published: October 2008

Objectives: This in vitro study was aimed to investigate the attachment, spreading and proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts to milled and polished non‐veneered ceramic surfaces in alumina and zirconia and to ceramic surfaces veneered by two different types of porcelain baseliners.

Materials and methods: Fibroblasts were cultured on discs of pressed alumina or zirconia, on discs which had been milled, on discs comprising alumina or zirconia which had been polished, on discs of alumina veneered with NobelRondo baseliner Al, on discs of zirconia veneered with Cercon‐S baseliner, and on alumina or zirconia discs veneered with the above baseliners and then polished. The surfaces were analyzed using an optical interferometer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cell profile areas were measured using SEM and an image analyzer. Cell attachment was determined after 3 and 24 h as a ratio of the cell profiles and the total micrograph area and was expressed as percent of attachment. MTT analyses were undertaken to determine cellular attachment after 3 h of incubation and cellular proliferation after 7 days.

Results: The polished zirconia specimens had the smoothest surface in terms of average height deviation (Sa=0.03 μm): the roughest were the zirconia specimens with milled surfaces (Sa=0.36 μm). The application of the baseliners resulted in surfaces smoother than those of the non‐veneered discs. The milled surfaces of both alumina and zirconia had significantly higher percentages of cell attachment and proliferation than the other surfaces whereas the milled surfaces in zirconia demonstrated better cellular attachment after 3 and 24 h of culture than the one in alumina. Fibroblasts attached and grew effectively on the surfaces veneered with NobelRondo throughout the experiments, whereas the zirconia surfaces veneered with Cercon‐S had the lowest percentage of cell attachment and proliferation.

Conclusions: Although the roughness of all surfaces investigated was <0.4 μm, the study disclosed significant differences in cellular attachment and proliferation associated with the various surface modifications.
Two‐year prospective clinical comparison of immediate replacement vs. immediate restoration of single tooth in the esthetic zone
Authors: Palattella Piermario , Torsello Ferruccio , Cordaro Luca
Published: October 2008

Aim: To compare the immediate restoration of single implants in the esthetic zones performed on implants placed immediately after tooth extraction or 8 weeks later (immediate replacement vs. immediate restoration).

Methods: Sixteen patients (10 women and 6 men) with a mean age of 35 years (ranging from 21 to 49 years old) were treated from 2004 to 2005 for single‐tooth replacement in the upper arch. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: in the test group patients received implants placed and restored (non‐occlusal loading) at the time of tooth extraction; in the control group implants were placed 8 weeks after tooth extraction and immediately restored. All the patients received tapered effect (TE) implants from the Straumann Dental Implant System. The following parameters were evaluated at the moment of provisional restoration (within 48 h after implant placement) and at the 2 years follow‐up visit: marginal bone resorption, papilla index, position of the mucosal margin. The implant stability quotient was measured at the moment of implant placement and at the moment of the delivery of the definitive restoration.

Results: No statistically significant differences were found in any of the studied parameters between the test and the control groups (P>0.05). The implant stability quotient values between the test and control groups were significant (P<0.05) at the moment of implant placement but were no more significant at the loading of the definitive restoration (P>0.05).

Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that immediate replacement without functional loading may be considered a valuable therapeutic option for selected cases of single‐tooth replacement in the esthetic area when TE implants are used. Implant stability at the moment of implant placement is slightly inferior in the immediate replacement group, but it does not affect the treatment result.
Ecdysteroid ligand–receptor selectivity – exploring trends to design orthogonal gene switches
Authors: Lapenna Silvia , Friz Jennifer , Barlow Anna , Palli Subba R. , Dinan Laurence , Hormann Robert E.
Published: October 2008

A set of thirty‐two natural and ten semisynthetic ecdysteroids was assayed in murine 3T3 cells across ten different ecdysteroid receptor (EcR) ligand‐binding domains derived from nine arthropod species in an engineered gene switch format. Among the ecdysteroids tested, the most biologically widespread ecdysteroid, 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E), was moderately and consistently potent across the tested EcRs. The most potent ligand–receptor combination (EC50 = 0.3 nm) was ponasterone A (PoA) actuating the Nephotettix cincticeps EcR switch. The most robust ligand–receptor combination, as measured by potency and efficacy, was PoA actuating either the Bombyx mori EcR or a ‘VY’ (E274V/V390I/Y410E) mutant of Choristoneura fumiferana EcR. Parallel ecdysteroid structure–activity relationships were observed across species; addition of hydroxyl groups at positions 2, 3, 14, 20 and 22 incrementally enhanced potency, whereas hydroxylation at position 25 retarded potency. Nevertheless, several outlier ligand–EcR combinations, such as cyasterone actuating the VY C. fumiferana EcR mutant and canescensterone activating Bemisia argentifolii EcR, exhibited an inversion of relative potency, and therefore lend themselves to construction of orthogonal duplex gene switches. The potency inversion between these two ligand–receptor pairs can be accounted for by steroid–tail contact residues Tyr411 and Met502 in VY C. fumiferana EcR corresponding to two threonines in B. argentifolii EcR. Another potency inversion was also observed with cyasterone operating on the VY mutant of C. fumiferana EcR and polypodine B activating Aedes aegypti EcR. The ecdysteroid‐EcR dataset, generated in a non‐natural system, nevertheless invites conjecture regarding relative ecdysteroid potencies, plant species distribution of certain phytoecdysteroids, and the role of phytoecdysteroids as chemodefense against relevant insect herbivores.
Binding Properties of the C‐terminal Domain of VIAF
Authors: Bisson William H. , Zhang Ziming , Welsh Kate , Huang Jui‐Wen , Ryan Jennifer , Reed John C. , Pellecchia Maurizio
Published: October 2008

The protein X‐linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) plays an important role in caspase inactivation and as a consequence in the inhibition of apoptosis. It is known that IAP antagonists are able to specifically bind XIAP and reactivate caspase activity stimulating apoptosis. The viral IAP‐associated factor (VIAF) protein is a novel IAP‐interacting factor able to modulate caspase activation during apoptosis. We show that the C‐terminal domain of VIAF (c‐VIAF) is not able in vitro to behave as a direct IAP antagonist. By [15N–1H] HSQC NMR studies we revealed that c‐VIAF binds to the RING domain of XIAP and characterized the important residues involved in the binding. Through 1D 1H‐NMR screening of 1000 compounds from an in‐house collection, we found that compound BI‐86‐E10 is able to bind to c‐VIAF in a region adjacent to that interacting with the RING domain of XIAP, as supported by homology modeling and computational docking studies. After an initial round of SAR, the compound analog BI‐86‐E6 was found to bind with a Kd value of 16.5 μm. These initial compounds may serve as chemical probes for further functional studies, possibly aimed at validating c‐VIAF as a novel target for antiviral drug development.
Potent Opioid Peptide Agonists Containing 4′‐[N‐((4′‐phenyl)‐phenethyl)carboxamido]phenylalanine (Bcp) in Place of Tyr
Authors: Weltrowska Grazyna , Nguyen Thi M.‐D. , Lemieux Carole , Chung Nga N. , Schiller* Peter W.
Published: October 2008

Analogues of the opioid peptides H‐Tyr‐c[d‐Cys‐Gly‐Phe(pNO2)‐d‐Cys]NH2 (non‐selective), H‐Tyr‐d‐Arg‐Phe‐Lys‐NH2 (μ‐selective) and dynorphin A(1‐11)‐NH2 (κ‐selective) containing 4′‐[N‐((4′‐phenyl)‐phenethyl)carboxamido]phenylanine (Bcp) in place of Tyr1 were synthesized. All three Bcp1‐opioid peptides retained high μ opioid receptor binding affinity, but showed very significant differences in the opioid receptor selectivity profiles as compared with the corresponding Tyr1‐containing parent peptides. The cyclic peptide H‐Bcp‐c[d‐Cys‐Gly‐Phe(pNO2)‐d‐Cys]NH2 turned out to be an extraordinarily potent, μ‐selective opioid agonist, whereas the Bcp1‐analogue of dynorphin A(1‐11)‐NH2 displayed partial agonism at the μ receptor. The obtained results suggest that the large biphenylethyl substituent contained in these compounds may engage in a hydrophobic interaction with a receptor subsite and thereby may play a role in the ligand’s ability to induce a specific receptor conformation or to bind to a distinct receptor conformation in a situation of conformational receptor heterogeneity.
CHILDE ROLAND AND THE MYSTIC'S QUEST: ANALYTIC FAITH IN A WORLD OF LOST MEANINGS
Authors: MacKenna Christopher
Published: October 2008

abstract  Psychoanalysis did not emerge in a vacuum. With hindsight, we can see that it was – at least in part – a response to a dual crisis in the Northern European world at the end of the nineteenth century: a crisis of religious faith, and a crisis about knowledge and the possibility of meaning. With help from Henry Scott Holland and Robert Browning, this paper seeks to evoke these crises, and then to explore the way in which Freud's psychoanalysis, based on the practice of ‘evenly hovering attention’, introduced a secularized world to the practice of ‘unknowing’ which had previously been the preserve of the mystics. Similarities between the work of analysis and the mystical quest are explored, and it is suggested that both are forms of knowing, in which meaning is able to emerge through a process of mutual participation in being.
Analysis of Sandwich Panels for an Energy Efficient and Self-Supporting Residential Roof
Authors: Thomas Daniel , Mantell Susan C. , Davidson Jane H. , Goldberg Louise F. , Carmody John
Published: October 2008

The structural and thermal feasibility of a self-supporting sandwich panel for energy efficient residential roof applications is assessed. The assessment is limited to symmetric sandwich panels comprising two face sheets and an insulating core. Feasible panel designs are presented for loading conditions, corresponding to southern and northern climates in the United States. The base case panel is 5.5 m long for a nominal 4.6 m horizontal span and an 8/12 roof pitch. Face sheet materials considered are oriented strand board, steel, and fiber reinforced plastic. Core materials considered are expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, polyurethane and poly(vinyl-chloride) foams. A wide range of material options meet building code limits on deflection and weight and prevent face sheet fracture and buckling, and core shear failure. Panels are identified that have structural depths similar to conventional wood rafter construction. Shortening the overall panel length provides greater choice in the use of materials and decreases the required panel thickness. Suggestions for improved panel designs address uncertainty in the ability of the plastic core to withstand long term loading over the expected life of residential buildings.
Combustion Analysis of Biomass Based Slurry Fuels in Oil Fired Furnace Using CFD-Tool
Authors: Prakash S. V. , Shankapal S. R.
Published: October 2008

An existing oil fired furnace was modeled to obtain the maximum swirling of biomass based slurry fuel and air to achieve better combustion of the biomass fuel present in the slurry. For analysis a computational model of the furnace was constructed with a swirl burner placed at the bottom of the furnace using commercially available CFD preprocessing software (GAMBIT). The boundary conditions were set so as to allow biomass slurry and air with different swirl angles with respect to horizontal and vertical planes, with constant velocities of the mixtures. This research work focuses on the effect of different inlet angles of the fuel supply at constant velocity into the furnace for maximum combustion efficiency. Using Fluent, the post process results shows the increase in residence time by 40% with inlet angle of 45 deg with respect to the x and z-axis, 75 deg from positive y-axis and top partially opened, compared to the initial position of the swirl burner placed directly at zero deg. Using non-premixed combustion model the combustion efficiency of the fuel was increased.
Test Results of a Schott HCE Using a LS-2 Collector
Authors: Moss Timothy A. , Brosseau Douglas A.
Published: October 2008

Sandia National Laboratories has completed thermal performance testing on the Schott parabolic trough receiver using the LS-2 collector on the Sandia rotating platform at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque, NM. This testing was funded as part of the US DOE Sun-Lab USA-Trough program. The receiver tested was a new Schott receiver, known as Heat Collector Elements (HCEs). Schott is a new manufacturer of trough HCEs. The Schott HCEs are 4m long; therefore, two were joined and mounted on the LS-2 collector module for the test. The Schott HCE design consists of a 70mm diameter high solar absorptance coated stainless steel (SS) tube encapsulated within a 125mm diameter Pyrex® glass tube with vacuum in the annulus formed between the SS and glass tube to minimize convection heat losses. The Schott HCE design is unique in two regards. First, the bellows used to compensate for the difference in thermal expansion between the metal and glass tube are inside the glass envelope rather than outside. Second, the composition of materials at the glass-to-metal seal has very similar thermal expansion coefficients making the joint less prone to breakage from thermal shock. Sandia National Laboratories provided both the azimuth and elevation collector module tracking systems used during the tests. The test results showed the efficiency of the Schott HCE to be very similar to current HCEs being manufactured by Solel. This testing provided performance verification for the use of Schott tubes with Solargenix trough collector assemblies at currently planned trough power plant projects in Arizona and Nevada.
Continuous Commissioning of Salt Lake City Community College South City Campus
Authors: Deng Song , Turner Dan
Published: October 2008

The State of Utah’s Department of Natural Resources funded two projects in Salt Lake City to demonstrate the feasibility of the Continuous Commissioning® (CC®) process. The two sites selected were a modern state building, the Matheson Courthouse [1], and a very old building, the South City campus of Salt Lake Community College [2]. This paper describes the measures and latest savings results from the CC® process at the Community College. The energy savings amounted to 15% of the annual utility bill. While most of the savings were attributed to CC, part was attributed to the on-site facility operators who implemented measures over and above those recommended by the CC engineers. It was an exciting team effort and a good example of the savings that can be achieved by CC engineers working closely with a good facility operations staff.
Modeling of Phase Change Material Peak Load Shifting
Authors: Halford C. K. , Boehm R. F.
Published: October 2008

Peak demand for electricity in many parts of the country, and particularly the desert southwest, is of critical concern to utilities. Any reasonable solutions that can be used for shifting some of the peak demand to off-peak should be seriously considered. For locations with high air conditioning demand, one possibility is to use a phase-change material in the ceiling insulation that may melt during peak demand periods and then be refrozen off peak. The purpose of our work is the development of a numerical model to evaluate the load shifting abilities of this type of approach. The simulation is based upon the solution to the one-dimensional diffusion equation driven by a sinusoidally varying ambient temperature imposed on the outer surface. In developing the model, the phase change material is taken as a horizontal layer within the insulation. Its location and mass are treated as parameters. Other variables such as the characteristic ambient temperature variations and the thermostat set point are varied relative to the phase change temperature. The output of the model is the time varying heat flux at the inner surface over the period of a day. Comparisons are made to the temporal variations of the heat flows without the application of the phase change material to those with the phase change material.
Progress in Development of High-Temperature Solar-Selective Coating
Authors: Kennedy C. E. , Price H.
Published: October 2008

Improving the properties of the selective coating on the receiver represents one of the best opportunities for improving the efficiency of parabolic trough collectors and reducing the cost of solar electricity. Additionally, increasing the operating temperature above the current operating limits of 400°C can improve power cycle efficiency and reduce the cost of thermal energy storage resulting in reductions in the cost of solar electricity. Current coatings do not have the stability and performance necessary to move to higher operating temperatures. The objective of this effort was to develop new, more-efficient selective coatings with both high solar absorptance (α ≥ 0.96) and low thermal emittance (ε ≤ 0.07 at 400°C) that are thermally stable above 500°C, ideally in air, with improved durability and manufacturability and reduced cost. Using computer-aided design software, we successfully modeled a solar-selective coating composed of materials stable at high temperature that exceeded our property goals. In preparation for characterization of samples of these new coatings, a round-robin experiment was conducted to verify the accuracy of the selective coating reflectance measurements.
Evaluation of Reinforcement Learning for Optimal Control of Building Active and Passive Thermal Storage Inventory
Authors: Liu Simeng , Henze Gregor P.
Published: October 2008

This paper describes an investigation of machine-learning control for the supervisory control of building active and passive thermal storage inventory. Previous studies show that the utilization of either active or passive, or both can yield significant peak cooling load reduction and associated electrical demand and operational cost savings. In this study, a model-free learning control is investigated for the operation of electrically driven chilled water systems in heavy-mass commercial buildings. The reinforcement learning controller learns to operate the building and cooling plant optimally based on the feedback it receives from past control actions. The learning agent interacts with its environment by commanding the global zone temperature setpoints and TES charging/discharging rate. The controller extracts cues about the environment solely based on the reinforcement feedback it receives, which in this study is the monetary cost of each control action. No prediction or system model is required. Over time and by exploring the environment, the reinforcement learning controller establishes a statistical summary of plant operation, which is continuously updated as operation continues. This presented analysis revealed that learning control is a feasible methodology to find a near-optimal control strategy for exploiting the active and passive building thermal storage capacity, and also shows that the learning performance is affected by the dimensionality of the action and state space, the learning rate and several other factors. Moreover learning speed proved to be relatively low when dealing with tasks associated with large state and action spaces.
Installation, Operation, and Performance of the Amonix High Concentration Photovoltaic System at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Authors: Stone Kenneth W. , Garboushian Vahan , Boehm Robert , Hurt Rick , Gray Allison , Fletcher Thomas
Published: October 2008

This paper discusses the installation and operation of the Amonix High Concentration Photovoltaic System at the Center for Energy Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This includes the analysis performed to select of the foundation site location, drilling the foundation, installation of the foundation and pedestal, installation of the drive system, and installation of the concentrating photovoltaic modules. The day-to-day operation of the unit is described including an example of the generated power throughout the day. A summary is presented of the performance of the unit since the start of operation in March of 2004. This includes an example of the daily-generated electrical energy for a month, the monthly-generated energy since the start of the program, the total generated energy, the generating time, the peak power, etc. The result of an analysis of the power and energy generated is given that indicates the system performance has not decreased during this period of operation. Operating reliability data of the unit is presented for the system, subsystems, and major component level.
Experimental Validation of the Laboratory Air Handling Unit System (LAHU): Part I — Winter Operation
Authors: Cui Yujie , Liu Mingsheng , Conger Kirk
Published: October 2008

The Laboratory Air Handling Unit (LAHU) system for laboratory buildings has been developed and optimized. Theoretical study has concluded that the LAHU with optimal outside air control and optimal heat recovery control significantly reduces thermal energy use, saves pump power consumption and improves office indoor air quality. This paper presents validation experiments of LAHU energy performance in a large university research building including detailed experimental methodology, procedures and preliminary experimental energy savings results. The experiments establish that the LAHU can reduce annual heating by over 30% and can reduce heat recovery pump power by over 50% for this typical laboratory building.
Photovoltaic-Thermal Collector System for Domestic Application
Authors: Chow T. T. , Ji J. , He W.
Published: October 2008

Photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) systems integrate photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies into one single system with dual production of electricity and heat energy. A typical arrangement is the direct attachment of PV modules on to a solar thermal collector surface. For a given collector surface area, the overall system energy performance is expected higher than the conventional “side-by-side” PV and solar thermal systems. In the development of PV/T collector technology using water as the coolant, the most common design follows the sheet-and-tube thermal absorber concept. Fin performance of the thermal absorber has been identified as one important factor that affects much the overall energy performance of the collector. Accordingly, an aluminum-alloy flat-box type PV/T collector prototype was constructed and tested. Our test results indicate that a high combined thermal and electrical efficiency can be achieved. The primary-energy-saving efficiency for daily exposure approaches 65% at zero reduced temperature operation. With a simple and handy design, the product is considered to be very suitable for domestic application.
Storage Options and Sizing for Utility Scale Integration of Wind Energy Plants
Authors: Ingram Allan E.
Published: October 2008

Electric energy storage has been discussed as an option for increasing the marketability of wind energy facilities by reducing output variation. Utility scale wind plants face economic exposure to tariff charges for output variation as well as depending on volatile market prices for success. Wind speed variability and associated changes in wind plant output raise specific challenges to design engineers sizing electric energy storage systems. Evaluation of prospective Wind/Storage applications depends on the characteristics of individual wind plant output and the choice of storage technology. Energy storage options range from traditional lead acid batteries and pumped hydro storage to recently commercialized electrochemical flow battery systems. Selection and sizing of energy storage for wind plants vary with the time frame for each application. Different time frames correspond with the utility definitions of regulation, load shaping and load factoring. Results from a storage system model are presented that differentiate appropriate storage system sizes for these applications.
Advanced Heat Transfer and Thermal Storage Fluids
Authors: Moens Luc , Blake Daniel M.
Published: October 2008

The design of the next generation solar parabolic trough systems for power production will require the development of new thermal energy storage options with improved economics or operational characteristics. Current heat transfer fluids such as VP-1™ which consist of a eutectic mixture of biphenyl and diphenyl oxide, allow a maximum operating temperature of ca. 300°C for a direct thermal storage system, At higher temperatures the vapor pressure would become too high and would require pressure rated tanks. The use of VP-1™ also suffers from a freezing point around 13°C that requires heating during cold periods. One of the goals for future trough systems is the use of heat transfer fluids that can act as thermal storage media and that are stable to around 425°C and have a freezing point near or below 0°C. This paper presents an outline of our latest approach towards the development of such thermal storage fluids.
System Performance of an Indirect Collector Storage Preheater in Series With a Conventional Electric Resistance Water Heater
Authors: Boies A. M. , Homan K. O.
Published: October 2008

Solar integral collector storage (ICS) devices are a potentially low cost means of displacing a portion of the energy required for domestic water heating. However, since ICS systems are rarely used as a stand-alone system and are more typically utilized as a preheater for conventional water heaters, it is imperative to analyze the overall water heating system in order to determine the advantage of any improvements in the thermal performance of the ICS component. In particular, this paper analyzes the performance of a solar ICS heater, in divided and undivided storage configurations, in series with a conventional electric resistance water heater (ERWH) for a range of ICS storage volumes, heat exchanger NTU, initial ICS temperature, and ERWH storage volumes. The undivided storage configuration corresponds to the typical UPICS system whereas the divided storage configuration corresponds to a recently proposed concept for improving the thermal performance of the ICS device. The results show that the ICS preheater does provide significant increases in solar fraction when adequately sized. Although comparison of the divided to undivided storage concept, with the same total ICS storage volume, shows only modest gains of 5–10% in solar fraction, the ICS storage volume necessary to attain the same solar fraction is much less for the divided storage concept. The smaller required storage volume would, in turn, enable faster charging times and potentially higher initial temperatures thereby leading to even further improvements in overall system performance.
Using a Fan Air Flow Station to Control Building Static Pressure in a Variable Volume Air Conditioning System
Authors: Zheng B. , Pang X. , Liu M. , Joo I.
Published: October 2008

A fan airflow station measures airflow through a fan using fan speed, fan head, and the field-calibrated fan curve. This paper presents the theory and techniques of using fan airflow station in a variable volume system for building pressure control. These techniques include fan curve calibration, determination of the volumetric flow difference of the supply and return airflows, and sensor locations. The return fan speed profiles were plotted, and data was collected on building pressure after implementing the fan air flow station. The Implementation of a fan air flow station demonstrates that the return fan speed can track the supply fan speed profile as building loads change, such that building pressure is maintained within a satisfactory range.
System Modeling of Greenhouse Type Solar Water Heater
Authors: Wang Yiping , Tian Wei , Liu Yonghui , Yang Zhiyong , Zhu Li , Zhang Jinli , Yuan Bing
Published: October 2008

A Greenhouse type solar water heater has been built to evaluate the thermal performance of the new system and to extend the application field of thermosyphon solar heating system. The system consists of flat plate absorbers, greenhouse, water storage tanks and connection pipes. The greenhouse has dimensions of 34.6m in length and 9.2m in width. Ten cylindrical tanks of 0.5m in diameter and 1.5m in length and the flat plate absorbers with total area of 138m2 are connected in parallel. The roof and south wall of the greenhouse are made from polycarbonate which has high light transmission and low heat transmission and other walls are from Sandwiched color steel plates which are thermally insulated from the ambient environment. The water storage tanks, the flat plate absorbers and the connection pipes, which need no other insulation because of greenhouse effect, are placed in the greenhouse. The experimental data includes solar radiation, wind speed, ambient temperature, greenhouse air temperature, storage water temperature, and absorber temperature et al. To investigate new system performance, it is necessary to develop mathematical model which is different from models of traditional thermosyphon solar water heater because the new system combines natural circulation system and greenhouse technology. The transient thermal model of greenhouse type solar water heater is derived, which is based on energy balance of the flat plate absorbers, the floor, the air in the greenhouse, the roof, and the storage tank. Greenhouse air temperature and storage water temperature are predicted and mass flow rate is calculated according to the balance between the frictional pressure drop and pressure due to density differences around the thermosyphon circuit. It shows that the experimental data fit well with the estimated values according to the new mathematical models.
Modelling and FEM Simulation of Vibration Damping Properties of Nanoscale-Reinforced Composite Materials in Aerospace Applications
Authors: Kireitseu M. V.
Published: October 2008

The current drive for increased efficiency and reduced cost of machinery, usually results in a requirement for mass to be minimised. To avoid vibration related problems therefore, considerable effort has to be expended to increase the stiffness or damping of the structure. In terms of development of materials to achieve these goals, damping has probably received the least attention. Work carried out at the Universities in addressing each of these issues is described in the following sections.
Bending Stiffness of a Double-Layered Graphene Sheet Using a Geometrically-Based Analytical Approach
Authors: Behfar K. , Naghdabadi R.
Published: October 2008

In this article, the bending stiffness of a double-layered graphene sheet is investigated using a geometrically-based analytical approach. The analysis is based on the van der Waals interactions of atoms belonging to two neighboring sheets. The inter-atomic spacing between the adjacent layers is geometrically determined when the sheet is applied by a couple of moments in the opposite sides. The bending potential energy is obtained by summing up the potentials at discrete hexagons over the length and width of the sheet. It is observed that the bending stiffness of a double-layered graphene sheet does not depend on the length of the sheet and be a material property for the associated sheet.
Invention Using a Liposome of a Bio-Micromachine
Authors: Nara Matsunori
Published: October 2008

It is thought that a minus hydrogen ion is useful to the apotosis of a mitochondria and prevention of a necrosis, or prevention of the illness resulting from the oxygen radical in a human body. So, in this research, examination about the possibility and its practical use method of production of the hydrogen ion by which it was minus electrified was performed. First, the lipid bilayer as a medicine transporter of DDS (Drug Delivery System) was produced using the supercritical fluid. Next, experimental examination was performed for the purpose of enclosing the substance for hydrogen ion generating, and the substance for electronic accumulation with the inside of a lipid bilayer. Furthermore, fundamental examination was performed in order to use the enclosed minus hydrogen ion. In order to check what the electron of oxygen ion was taken into the hydrogen ion, and the minus hydrogen ion generated, electrical conductivity measurement was performed. By mixing and heating, 12CaO · 7Al2O3 and metal calcium, the electron was accumulated in the inside of the reaction object of 12CaO7Al2O3. The check of accumulation of the electron (anion) inside a reaction object was judged by measurement of the electrical conductivity before and behind processing. That is, when the electron was accumulated, I thought that the electrical conductivity of a reaction object increased. Moreover, this reaction object was used as an electronic transporter. In the range of the temperature set up in the liposome production experiment, and pressure, it could not say that the influence temperature and pressure affect the determination of the particle diameter of a liposome was large, but average particle diameter was about 10 micrometers. The following conclusions were obtained as a result of conducting a fundamental experiment for the purpose of production of a medicine which made the minus hydrogen ion include inside a lipid bilayer (liposome), and a confirmation of the validity as DDS in the living body. (1) The liposome suitable for DDS was able to be obtained. (2) By using metal magnesium and metal calcium, the minus hydrogen ion was able to be accumulated in the reaction inside of the body of alumina cement.
Controlled Manipulation of Carbon Nanotubes for Nanodevices, Arrays, and Films
Authors: Huang Xue Ming Henry , Caldwell Robert , Chandra Bhupesh , Jun Seong Chan , Huang Mingyuan , Hone James
Published: October 2008

Carbon nanotubes hold great promise for a number of applications due to their outstanding electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. However, nanomanufacturing issues constitute a major area of challenge for successful implementation of nanotubes. In particular, because subtle changes in physical structure (chirality) can cause the electronic structure to vary from metallic to semiconducting, the goal of fully controlled nanotube device fabrication has proven elusive. In addition, materials compatibility issues impose significant limitations toward integration of nanotubes with many substrates and systems. We have developed techniques for nanotube device manufacture that rely upon mechanical transfer of chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown nanotubes from one substrate to another. These techniques can be used on the level of individual nanotubes, for controlled fabrication of arrays, or for manufacture of thin films.
The Investigation of Using 3D Embroidery Technology for Creating Textile Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Authors: Arora Tina , Dias Tilak , Soleimani Manuchehr
Published: October 2008

The main objective of this paper is to develop a computer simulative model for designing textile scaffolds. Embroidery structure can be defined as a framework of yarns that are connected by stiff knots whose deformation will depend on the distribution of knots and on the stiffness of the yarn. Embroidery allows to build a highly architectured 3D structure to design pore patterns and other elements. The basic concept and some preliminary simulation results will be presented.
Photo-Deformable Micro-Shells of Nanometer Thick
Authors: Han Li-Hsin , Tang Tingji , Chen Shaochen
Published: October 2008

Azobenzene is a chemical structure that directly transmits energy of ultraviolet (UV) light, through an isomerization between the trans and cis states of a double bond between two nitrogen atoms, to a mechanical effect that reduces its molecular length from 9.0 Å to 5.5 Å [1]. This phenomenon has been applied in the fabrication of photo-deformable polymers, where monomers containing azobenzene were polymerized to form gel-like materials [1, 2, 3]. The mechanism of photo-isomerization could be very promising for the field concerning nano/micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS/NEMS) [4]. Layer-by-layer (LBL) method [5, 6] is a method to form thinfilms of nanometer-scale thickness through a series of adsorptions of poly-anions and poly-cations onto a charged template. 3-dimensional (3D) hollow shells can be formed by casting the LBL film onto small particles and subsequently etching away the particles. [7–11]. This report is about a combination between the photoisomerization phenomenon and LBL method. Silica micro-spheres (6.84 μm in diameter) were used as templates. In a series of LBL procedures, poly- (1- 4- 3 carboxy- 4- hydroxyphenyl azobenzene sulfonaide-1, 2-ethanediyl, sodium salt) (PAZO) and poly-allylamine hydrochloride (PAH, a poly-cation) solutions were alternatively deposited onto the surfaces of the micro-spheres. Details of the procedures followed reference [9]. After 20 PAZO/PAH double layers were formed, we etched away the SiO2 cores by using 6:1 buffered hydrofluoride acid (BHF) and successfully formed 3-dimemsional (3D) hollow shells (Figure 1). We used a 355 nm Nd:YAG pulse-laser to irradiate the micro-shells. The microshells contracted anisotropically under the laser irradiation, and the shape of microshells changed from spherical to ellipsoidal. The long axes of the contracted microshell are parallel to the direction of the polarization of the UV laser (Figure 2). We believe that this anisotropic deformation is generated from a polarization dependence of the photo-isomerization rate of the azobenzene groups in the microshells. The deformed micro-shells were tested by irradiation of a 532nm pulse laser. The contraction, however, is not recoverable even through cis-trans isomerization was shown generated by visible-light irradiation [3]. To solve this problem, further study is needed to investigate the details of the micro-shells’ deformation. Nevertheless, we think it is quite possible that the irreversibility was resulted from the migrations and re-adhesions between the polyelectrolyte molecules during the UV irradiation. We believed that this kind of technique is very promising for the development micro and nanomachines (MEMS/NEMS). For instance, the large volumic shrinkage of the micro-shells could be applied to the field concerning nano-robots, artificial muscles, or drug delivery systems.
A Novel Structure and Experimental Procedure for Nanocalorimetry
Authors: Yang Y. , Zhang S. , Asheghi M.
Published: October 2008

Calorimetry is the process of quantifying internal energy changes as a result of temperature changes, in which enthalpy is a measure of the internal energy. Differential calorimetry has been around for about half a century and has been primarily adopted to eliminate the unknown sources of heat losses from the “test” structure by introducing a “reference” structure, e.g. [1]. Over the past decade, the need for small-scale measurements have led to the development of MEMS based differential calorimetry techniques, e.g. [2], which is an ideal platform to satisfy the requirements for fabrication of identical “reference” and “test” structures. However, one should be cautious that the “identical” geometry and dimension are only the required but not necessarily the sufficient condition, in this approach. Indeed, the necessary and sufficient condition to achieve the highest resolution and accuracy is for the “test” and “reference” structures to have identical thermal “footprint” and “behavior”.
Flexible Electronic Devices From Hot Embossing Materials Transfer
Authors: Allen Ashante’ , Cannon Andrew , King William , Graham Samuel
Published: October 2008

The development of processing methods for flexible electronic devices is seen as an enabling technology for the creation of a new array of semiconductor products. These devices have the potential be low cost, disposable, and can be applied to deformable or non-planar surfaces. While much effort has been put into the development of amorphous silicon and organic semiconductor technology for flexible devices, semiconductor nanomaterials are of interest due to their inherently flexibility, high transport mobilities, and their unique optoelectronic and piezoelectric properties. However, the synthesis of these materials directly onto polymer substrates is not feasible due to the high temperatures or harsh chemical environments under which they are synthesized. This challenge has limited the development of flexible electronics with semiconductor nanomaterial building blocks. A number of techniques which address the manufacturing concerns include solution based processing [1,2] as well as dry transfer techniques [3–5]. In general, dry transfer printing methods carry advantages over solution based processing as the need to address substrate-fluid compatibility is mitigated.
Nano-Imprint Fabrication of Injectable, Stimuli-Responsive Drug Delivery Vehicles
Authors: Glangchai Luz Cristal S. , Shi Li , Roy Krishnendu
Published: October 2008

Nanofabrication techniques are developed to create well-defined and characterized drug delivery devices that overcome the limitations of current methods. Our approach is to use novel, top-down nano-fabrication technologies, including thermal nano-imprinting and step-and flash imprint lithography (S-FIL), coupled with stimuli-responsive polymer membranes to develop injectable nanocontainers that can release drug only in response to specific physiological signals at specific cellular locations.
Tuning Thermal Transport in a Crystalline Solid Using Epitaxially Embedded Nanoparticles
Authors: Kim Woochul , Singer Suzanne , Majumdar Arun
Published: October 2008

Since the discovery of electricity, research on charge transport in materials has pushed the extremes of tuning electrical conductivity. Today, material manipulations have only achieved a limited variation in thermal transport in a solid. In this study we theoretically demonstrated the effects of tuning thermal transport in crystalline solids by using epitaxially embedding nanoparticles. By adjusting particle size, size distributions, and concentration of nanoparticles, phonon transport in solids can be spectrally-selective scattered, and one can acquire a material with desired thermal properties. Our simulation is based on the thermal conductivity of ErAs nanoparticles epitaxially embedded inside an InGaAs alloy matrix.
Information Storage and Retrieval Using Macromolecules as Storage Media
Authors: Mansuripur Masud
Published: October 2008

To store information at extremely high-density and data-rate, we propose to adapt, integrate, and extend the techniques developed by chemists and molecular biologists for the purpose of manipulating biological and other macromolecules.
Simple Disk-Based Method for Detection of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Carbapenemase-Type β-Lactamase by Use of a Boronic Acid Compound
Authors: Doi Yohei , Potoski Brian A. , Adams-Haduch Jennifer M. , Sidjabat Hanna E. , Pasculle Anthony W. , Paterson David L.
Published: October 2008

A disk potentiation method using carbapenems as substrates and 3-aminophenyl boronic acid as an inhibitor was evaluated for the detection of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase (KPC)-type β-lactamases. When combined with nonsusceptibility to ertapenem, the method was easy to perform and reliably differentiated isolates producing KPC-type β-lactamases from those producing other types of β-lactamases.
Critical Role for TSLC1 Expression in the Growth and Organ Infiltration of Adult T-Cell Leukemia Cells In Vivo
Authors: Dewan M. Zahidunnabi , Takamatsu Naofumi , Hidaka Tomonori , Hatakeyama Kinta , Nakahata Shingo , Fujisawa Jun-ichi , Katano Harutaka , Yamamoto Naoki , Morishita Kazuhiro
Published: October 2008

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 infection. The tumor suppressor lung cancer 1 (TSLC1) gene was previously identified as a novel cell surface marker for ATL, and this study demonstrated the involvement of TSLC1 expression in tumor growth and organ infiltration of ATL cells. In experiments using NOD/SCID/γc
null
mice, both leukemia cell lines and primary ATL cells with high TSLC1 expression caused more tumor formation and aggressive infiltration of various organs of mice. Our results suggest that TSLC1 expression in ATL cells plays an important role in the growth and organ infiltration of ATL cells.
TWO FORMS OF THE THREE-QUBIT STATE FOR PERFECT TELEPORTATION
Authors: ZHA XIN-WEI , SONG HAI-YANG
Published: October 2008

Two forms of the three-qubit pure state for teleporting an unknown one-particle entangled state are presented, where the successful possibilities and fidelities of the two schemes both reach one unit. It is worthwhile noticing that GHZ states and W-states are special cases of those two forms of a perfect quantum channel. Furthermore, the orthogonal complete measurement bases are given.
OPEN AND HIDDEN CHARM IN PROTON–NUCLEUS AND HEAVY-ION COLLISIONS
Authors: LINNYK O. , BRATKOVSKAYA E. L. , CASSING W.
Published: October 2008

We review dynamical and thermal models for the collectivity and the suppression pattern of charmed mesons — produced in proton–nucleus and nucleus–nucleus collisions at SPS (~158 A GeV) and RHIC energies (~21 A TeV). In particular, we examine the charmonium "melting" and the "comover dissociation" scenarios — implemented in a microscopic transport approach — in comparison to the available data from the SPS and RHIC. The analysis shows that the dynamics of c and [Formula: see text] quarks. quarks at RHIC are dominated by partonic or "pre-hadronic" interactions in the strongly coupled plasma stage and can neither be modeled by "hadronic" interactions nor described appropriately by color screening alone. Both the "charmonium melting" and the hadronic "comover absorption and recreation model" are found, however, to be compatible with the experimental observation at SPS energies; the experimental ratio of Ψ′/J/Ψ versus centrality clearly favors the "hadronic comover" scenario. We find that the collective flow of charm in the purely hadronic Hadron-String Dynamics (HSD) transport appears compatible with the data at SPS energies, but the data at top RHIC energies are substantially underestimated. Thus, the large elliptic flow v2 of D-mesons and the low RAA(pT) of J/Ψ seen experimentally have to be attributed to early interactions of non-hadronic degrees of freedom. Simultaneously, we observe that non-hadronic interactions are mandatory in order to describe the narrowing of the J/Ψ rapidity distribution from pp to central Au + Au collisions at the top RHIC energy of [Formula: see text]. Additionally we demonstrate that the strong quenching of high-pTJ/Ψ's in central Au + Au collisions indicates that a large fraction of final J/Ψ mesons is created by a coalescence mechanism close to the phase boundary. Throughout this review we, furthermore, provide predictions for charm observables from Au + Au collisions at FAIR energies of 25–35 A GeV.