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Promising Technology (promising + technology)
Selected AbstractsPermanganate Treatment of an Emplaced DNAPL SourceGROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 4 2007Neil R. Thomson In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) using permanganate is one of the few promising technologies that have recently appeared with the capability of aggressively removing mass from nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) source zones. While NAPL mass in regions of the treatment zone where delivery is dominated by advection can be removed rather quickly, the rate of mass removal from stagnant zones is diffusion controlled. This gives rise to partial mass removal and a concomitant reduction in the NAPL mass, downgradient ground water concentrations, and the dissolution rate associated with the source zone. Therefore, monitoring the performance of a permanganate ISCO treatment system is important to maintain the desired efficiency and to establish a treatment end point. In this paper, we illustrate the use of various monitoring approaches to assess the performance of a pilot-scale investigation that involved treatment of a multicomponent NAPL residual source zone with permanganate using a ground water recirculation system for 485 d. Ongoing treatment performance was assessed using permanganate and chloride concentration data obtained from extraction wells, 98 piezometers located approximately 1 m downgradient from the source, and ground water profiling. At the completion of treatment, 23 intact soil cores were extracted from the source zone and used to determine the remaining NAPL mass and manganese deposition. Based on the data collected, more than 99% of the initial NAPL mass was removed during treatment; however, remnant NAPL was sufficient to generate a small but measurable dissolved phase trichloroethene (TCE) and perchloroethene (PCE) plume. As a result of treatment, the ambient-gradient discharge rates were reduced by 99% for TCE and 89% for PCE relative to baseline conditions. The lack of complete source zone oxidation was presumed to be the result of dissolution fingers, which channeled the permanganate solution through the source zone preventing direct contact with the NAPL and giving rise to diffusion-limited mass removal. [source] A review on advances in alkali metal thermal to electric converters (AMTECs)INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 10 2009Shuang-Ying Wu Abstract The alkali metal thermal to electric converter (AMTEC) is one of the most promising technologies for direct conversion of thermal energy to electricity and has been receiving attention in the field of energy conversion and utilization in the past several decades. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the state of the art in the research and development of the AMTEC, including its working principles and types, historical development and applications, analytical models, working fluids, electrode materials, as well as the performance and efficiency improvement. The current two major problems encountered by the AMTEC, the time-dependent power degradation and relatively low efficiency compared to its theoretical value, are discussed in depth. In addition, a brief comparison of the AMTEC with other direct thermal to electric converters (DTECs), such as the thermoelectrics converter (TEC), thermionics converter, and thermophotovoltaics converter, is given, and combinations of different DTECs to further improve DTECs' power generation and overall conversion efficiency are demonstrated. Future research and development directions and the issues that need to be further investigated are also suggested. It is believed that this comprehensive review will be beneficial to the design, simulation, analysis, performance assessment, and applications of various types of AMTECs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Initial investigation on the use of waterjets to place amendments in the subsurfaceREMEDIATION, Issue 1 2005John W. Cable Quasi-passive in situ remediation technologies, such as the use of permeable reactive barriers to treat contaminated groundwater or applications of granular activated carbon to treat polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated, near-surface sediments, are proven or promising technologies that may be limited in application due to the traditional construction techniques normally used for placement in the environment. High-pressure waterjets have traditionally been used to excavate material during mining operations or to cut rock or other durable material. Waterjets have the potential to place amendments in the subsurface at depths greater than those that can be obtained using traditional construction techniques. Likewise, waterjets may have less negative impact on near-surface utilities and/or sensitive ecological systems. Laboratory experiments were performed to characterize the placement of two solid amendments in a simulated saturated aquifer. A second set of experiments was performed to characterize the effectiveness of waterjets for placing a third amendment in simulated intertidal sediments. The laboratory work focused on characterizing the nature of the waterjet penetration of the aquifer matrix and the saturated sediments, as well as the corresponding waterjet parameters of pressure, nozzle size, and injection time. The laboratory results suggest that field trials may be appropriate for future investigations. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Water Splitting on Semiconductor Catalysts under Visible-Light IrradiationCHEMSUSCHEM CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY & MATERIALS, Issue 6 2009Rufino Abstract Splitting image: Sustainable hydrogen production is a key target for the development of alternative, future energy systems that will provide a clean and affordable energy supply. This Minireview focuses on the development of semiconductor catalysts that enable hydrogen production via water splitting upon visible-light irradiation. Sustainable hydrogen production is a key target for the development of alternative, future energy systems that will provide a clean and affordable energy supply. The Sun is a source of silent and precious energy that is distributed fairly all over the Earth daily. However, its tremendous potential as a clean, safe, and economical energy source cannot be exploited unless the energy is accumulated or converted into more useful forms. The conversion of solar energy into hydrogen via the water-splitting process, assisted by photo-semiconductor catalysts, is one of the most promising technologies for the future because large quantities of hydrogen can potentially be generated in a clean and sustainable manner. This Minireview provides an overview of the principles, approaches, and research progress on solar hydrogen production via the water-splitting reaction on photo-semiconductor catalysts. It presents a survey of the advances made over the last decades in the development of catalysts for photochemical water splitting under visible-light irradiation. The Minireview also analyzes the energy requirements and main factors that determine the activity of photocatalysts in the conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight. Remarkable progress has been made since the pioneering work by Fujishima and Honda in 1972, but he development of photocatalysts with improved efficiencies for hydrogen production from water using solar energy still faces major challenges. Research strategies and approaches adopted in the search for active and efficient photocatalysts, for example through new materials and synthesis methods, are presented and analyzed. [source] Role of ancillary techniques in diagnosing and subclassifying non-Hodgkin's lymphomas on fine needle aspiration cytologyCYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2006P. DeyArticle first published online: 8 SEP 200 Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are tumours of the lymphoid cells. During the process of development of lymphoid cells, neoplasia may evolve at any point. Neoplastic cells usually carry the imprint of cell of origin at the stage of origin. Various types of NHL may have similar morphology with wide variation in origin, immunophenotype and other biological features. Different ancillary laboratory techniques may help to overcome the limitations of morphology in this aspect. The commonly used ancillary techniques in lymphomas are immunocytochemistry (IC), flow cytometry, Southern blot (SB) technique, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). In addition, laser scanning cytometry (LSC) and DNA microarray technologies are in the research phase. Various laboratory techniques are used for immunophenotyping, demonstration of monoclonality, identification of chromosomal translocation, assessment of cell kinetics and expression of mRNA in the tumour cells. Flow cytometry helps in rapid immunophenotying of NHL and it has an added advantage over IC in recognizing the co-expression of CD markers. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) combined with flow immunophenotyping may help us to diagnose and subclassify certain NHLs, such as follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma, which were previously recognized as pure morphological entities. Loss of morphology is one of the important limitations of flow cytometry. LSC can overcome this limitation by studying morphology along with the immunophenotyping pattern of individual cells. Chromosomal changes in NHL can be identified by SB, PCR and FISH. Molecular diagnosis of NHL helps in diagnosis, subclassification, prognostic assessment and even in planning of therapy. DNA microarray is a relatively newer and promising technology. It gives information about the expression of several thousands of genes in a tumour in a single experiment. In the near future, FNAC combined with ancillary techniques may play a major role in diagnosis, subclassification and management of lymphomas. [source] Traffic analysis in optical burst switching networks: a trace-based case studyEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 7 2009Ahmad Rostami Optical burst switching (OBS) appears as a promising technology for building dynamic optical transport networks. The main advantage of OBS is that it allows for dynamic allocation of resources at sub-wavelength granularity. Nevertheless, the burst contention problem, which occurs frequently inside the network, has to be addressed before OBS can be really deployed as the next generation optical transport network. Recently a lot of attention is devoted to different approaches for resolving contentions in OBS networks. Although performance analysis of these approaches is strongly dependent on the traffic characteristics in the network, the majority of the studies is so far based on very hypothetical traffic assumptions. In this study we use traces of real measurements in the Internet to derive realistic data about the traffic that is injected into the OBS network. Specifically, we investigate the marginal distributions of burst size, burst interdeparture time, assembly delay and number of packets per burst as well as the burstiness of the burst traces. We demonstrate that the performance of an OBS core node using the real traces is pretty similar to the results obtained when the traffic arriving to the core node is assumed to be Poisson. In fact, usage of the Poisson as the process of burst arrival to the core node leads in all the investigated cases to an upper bound on the burst drop rate at that node. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Digital Revolution: A New Paradigm for MicrofluidicsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 8 2009Mohamed Abdelgawad Abstract The digital revolution has come to microfluidics. In digital microfluidics (DMF), discrete droplets are manipulated by applying electrical fields to an array of electrodes. In contrast to microchannels, in DMF each sample and reagent is individually addressable, which facilitates exquisite control over chemical reactions. Here, we review the state-of-the-art in DMF, with a discussion of device formats, actuation physics, and biological and nonbiological applications. Along the way, we identify the key players in the field, and speculate on the advances and challenges that lie ahead. As with other fronts in the digital revolution, there have been and will be unexpected developments as DMF matures, but we posit that the future is bright for this promising technology. [source] Hydrogen utilization as a fuel: hydrogen-blending effects in flame structure and NO emission behaviour of CH4,air flameINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 5 2007Jeong Park Abstract Hydrogen-blending effects in flame structure and NO emission behaviour are numerically studied with detailed chemistry in methane,air counterflow diffusion flames. The composition of fuel is systematically changed from pure methane to the blending fuel of methane,hydrogen through H2 molar addition up to 30%. Flame structure, which can be described representatively as a fuel consumption layer and a H2,CO consumption layer, is shown to be changed considerably in hydrogen-blending methane flames, compared to pure methane flames. The differences are displayed through maximum flame temperature, the overlap of fuel and oxygen, and the behaviours of the production rates of major species. Hydrogen-blending into hydrocarbon fuel can be a promising technology to reduce both the CO and CO2 emissions supposing that NOx emission should be reduced through some technologies in industrial burners. These drastic changes of flame structure affect NO emission behaviour considerably. The changes of thermal NO and prompt NO are also provided according to hydrogen-blending. Importantly contributing reaction steps to prompt NO are addressed in pure methane and hydrogen-blending methane flames. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Providing IP QoS over GEO satellite systems using MPLSINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING, Issue 5 2001Tolga Ors Abstract Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) is a promising technology that is quickly gathering momentum as a solution for delivering quality of service (QoS) on IP-based terrestrial networks. It is then appropriate to wonder how this technology could affect the next generation satellite networks (from at least an interoperability standpoint) and if satellite network designers should implement MPLS on their space segment (and if yes, how?). These are the main questions that this paper is addressing. We will show how MPLS can be used on top of any layer 2 technology on the space segment, to provide IP QoS. In particular we will discuss MPLS over ATM over satellite where MPLS is essentially used to control and manage an on-board ATM switch fabric. Problems with MPLS and solutions will be presented. As the digital video broadcast (DVB) standard is becoming popular to be used on both the forward and return link, the different methods to carry IP over DVB will also be discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Removing pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds from wastewater by photocatalysisJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Omatoyo K Dalrymple Abstract Widespread concerns continue to be raised about the increasing presence of emerging contaminants in the environment. Such compounds include a wide range of persistent organic chemicals, including pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds whose effects are poorly known, often because they have only begun to enter the environment and are showing up in wastewater treatment plants. The occurrence and behavior of these compounds in wastewater are key issues with regard to water reclamation and reuse. Treatment plants are now faced with the challenge of removing the compounds from their effluent before they enter natural waterways. In this regard, photocatalysis is a promising technology for wastewater treatment that offers many advantages over conventional and some advanced treatment options. The application of photocatalysis for the removal of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds for wastewater is comprehensively surveyed in this paper. This treatment technology is not intended to replace conventional systems but to supplement for higher-quality effluent. The assessment places emphasis on the process fundamentals, advantages, and disadvantages of the technology. It also focuses on the current limitations and future research needs. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] COMBINED EFFECT OF OSMOTIC PRESSURE AND SONICATION ON THE REDUCTION OF SALMONELLA SPP.JOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, Issue 4 2008IN CONCENTRATED ORANGE JUICE ABSTRACT The effect of osmotic pressure alone or combined with the application of sonication on the reduction of Salmonella spp. in concentrated orange juice was evaluated. Frozen concentrated orange juice (12.6 MPa, pH = 3.2), a neutral sugar solution (9.2 MPa, pH = 6.6) and an acid sugar solution (8.8 MPa, pH = 3.2) were inoculated with Salmonella spp. (6,7 log cfu/mL). Reductions were measured after different storage times with or without previous sonication treatment of 1 h (42 KHz,330W). No significant osmotic shock was observed. Reductions appeared to increase over storage time in high osmotic environments. Reductions were also significantly higher for sonicated samples when compared with nonsonicated samples. The highest reduction (7.21 log cfu/mL) was found for concentrated orange juice sonicated during 60 min and stored for 168 h. Combination of sonication and osmotic evaporation (osmosonication) represents a promising new technology that could be designed to athermally produce safe, concentrated fruit juices. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The results derived from this research indicate that combining sonication with osmotic pressure during storage of concentrated orange juice provides a way of achieving a >5-log reduction of Salmonella spp. A new promising technology that we call "osmosonication" could be developed, using sonication and osmotic evaporation combined, to athermally process fruit juices. Besides the nutritional and sensory benefits already known to be provided by athermal processes, final products would also be safe for the consumer. [source] The potential of current high-resolution imaging-based particle size distribution measurements for crystallization monitoringAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009P. A. Larsen Abstract High-speed, in situ video microscopy is a promising technology for measuring critical solid-phase properties in suspension crystallization processes. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of high-resolution, video-imaging-based particle size distribution (PSD) measurement by applying image analysis and statistical estimation tools to images from a simulated batch crystallization of an industrial photochemical. The results also demonstrate the ability to monitor important quality parameters, such as the ratio of nuclei mass to seed mass, that cannot be monitored by conventional technologies. General recommendations are given for achieving appropriate sampling conditions to enable effective imaging-based PSD measurement. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Alternative stripper configurations for CO2 capture by aqueous aminesAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 12 2007Babatunde A. Oyenekan Abstract Aqueous absorption/stripping is a promising technology for the capture of CO2 from existing or new coal-fired power plants. Four new stripper configurations (matrix, internal exchange, flashing feed, and multipressure with split feed) have been evaluated with seven model solvents that approximate the thermodynamic and rate properties of 7m (30 wt %) monoethanolamine (MEA), potassium carbonate promoted by piperazine (PZ), promoted MEA, methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) promoted by PZ, and hindered amines. The results show that solvents with high heats of absorption (MEA, MEA/PZ) favor operation at normal pressure. The relative performance of the alternative configurations is matrix > internal exchange > multipressure with split feed > flashing feed. MEA/PZ and MDEA/PZ are attractive alternatives to 7m MEA. The best solvent and process configuration, matrix with MDEA/PZ, offers 22 and 15% energy savings over the baseline and improved baseline, respectively, with stripping and compression to 10 MPa. The energy requirement for stripping and compression to 10 MPa is about 20% of the power output from a 500 MW power plant with 90% CO2 removal. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007 [source] Current status of amorphous formulation and other special dosage forms as formulations for early clinical phasesJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 9 2009Kohsaku Kawakami Abstract Although most chemists in the pharmaceutical industry have a good understanding on favorable physicochemical properties for drug candidates, formulators must still deal with many challenging candidates. On the other hand, formulators are not allowed to spend much time on formulation development for early phases of the clinical studies. Thus, it is basically difficult to apply special dosage form technologies to the candidates for the first-in-human formulations. Despite the availability of numerous reviews on oral special dosage forms, information on their applicability as the early phase formulation has been limited. This article describes quick review on the oral special dosage forms that may be applied to the early clinical formulations, followed by discussion focused on the amorphous formulations, which still has relatively many issues to be proved for the general use. The major problems that inhibit the use of the amorphous formulation are difficulty in the manufacturing and the poor chemical/physical stability. Notably, the poor physical stability can be critical, because of not the poor stability itself but the difficulty in the timely evaluation in the preclinical developmental timeframes. Research directions of the amorphous formulations are suggested to utilize this promising technology without disturbing the preclinical developmental timelines. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 98:2875,2885, 2009 [source] Photothermal and accompanied phenomena of selective nanophotothermolysis with gold nanoparticles and laser pulsesLASER PHYSICS LETTERS, Issue 11 2008V.K. Pustovalov Abstract In medical applications of laser and nanotechnology to diagnosis and treat cancer or microorganisms, understanding of lased-induced photothermal (PT) and accompanied phenomena around nanoparticles are crucial for optimization and bringing this promising technology to bedside. We analyzed the main Ptbased effects in and around gold nanoparticles under action of short (nano-, pico-, and femtosecond) laser pulses with focus on photoacoustic effects due to the thermal expansion of nanoparticles and liquid around them, thermal protein denaturation, explosive liquid vaporization, melting and evaporation of nanoparticle, optical breakdown initiated by nanoparticles and accompanied to shock waves and explosion (fragmentation) of gold nanoparticles. Characteristic parameters for these processes such as the temperature and pressures levels, and laser intensity thresholds among others are summarized to provide basis for comparison of different mechanisms of selective nanophotothermolysis and diagnostics of different targets (e.g., cancer cells, bacteria, viruses). (© 2008 by Astro Ltd., Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA) [source] Microstrip antennas for cellular and wireless communication systemsMICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 5 2002obodzian Abstract The Letter describes problems related to use of microstrip antennas in cellular and wireless telecommunications systems. Because of the unique properties, microstrip technology is nowadays often used to manufacture small internal antennas for portable terminals as well as antenna arrays for base stations. It also seems to be a very promising technology for multisystem antennas, for which there is an ever-growing demand. The Letter also presents a short overview of currently available solutions and ones under development by the authors, along with some key problems related to their design. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 34: 380,384, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10468 [source] Quantum dot-tagged microspheres for fluid-based DNA microarraysPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 4 2003K. E. Meissner Abstract Quantum dot-embedded microspheres offer a promising technology for the development of a fluid-based DNA microarray to replace current biochip microarray technology. The narrow emission and long lifetime from the quantum dots (QD's) is ideal for dense spectral multiplexing. Also, the QD's may all be excited by a single source. To implement this solution, we have fabricated CdSe quantum dots following published procedures and embedded them in polystyrene microspheres. As a first step in this development, we have investigated the use of a flow cytometer in analyzing the encoded microspheres. We demonstrate the use of a microsphere-based DNA detection system and investigate the readout of quantum dot-tagged microspheres. We also discuss some of the inherent limitations and difficulties of using such a system to address the need for a high-throughput readout for spectral multiplexing for fluid-based DNA microarrays. [source] Economical Advantages of Low-Pressure Plasma Polymerization CoatingPLASMA PROCESSES AND POLYMERS, Issue 6 2005Hirotsugu Yasuda Abstract Summary: Low-pressure plasma polymerization coating, as described in this paper, is an ultimately green process that uses a minimum amount of substances and produces a minimum amount of effluent and hence does not require an environmental remediation process. The super-green aspect of the processing entirely changes the equation for the viability of the process in industrial applications. The main hampering factors for the low-pressure processes are 1) psychological fear of vacuum processes, 2) relatively high initial equipment costs, and 3) a lack of adequate cost estimate for the entire process. In many cases, the first two factors are enough for planners to shy away from this promising technology. However, when one examines the overall cost of processing as a whole, the cost of initial equipment often is not the decisive factor. Such cases are presented in the nano-film coating applied in corrosion protection of aluminum alloys, steel, and surface-state modification of contact lenses. The benefits of environmental friendliness, non-hazardous processing and superior performance of products that can be achieved only by low-pressure plasma polymerization coatings are more than enough to compensate the initial cost of the equipment. For nanofilm (20 nm) coatings, the most expensive annual operation cost is for wastewater treatment, which is much more than the initial cost of vacuum plasma polymerization reactor. [source] Unlocking the Value of RFIDPRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007Hau Lee RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology has shown itself to be a promising technology to track movements of goods in a supply chain. As such, it can give unprecedented visibility to the supply chain. Such visibility can save labor cost, improve supply chain coordination, reduce inventory and increase product availability. Industry reports and white papers are now filled with estimates and proclamations of the benefits and quantified values of RFID. Early adopters are now rallying more and more followers. However, most such claims are educated guesses at best and are not substantiated, that is, they are not based on detailed, model-based analysis. This paper argues that there is a huge credibility gap of the value of RFID, and that a void exists in showing how the proclaimed values are arrived at, and how those values can be realized. The paper shows that this credibility gap must be filled with solid model analysis, and therefore presents a great opportunity for the Production and Operations Management (POM) research community. The paper reviews some of the ongoing research efforts that attempt to close the credibility gap, and suggests additional directions for further strengthening the POM's contribution to help industry realize the full potentials of RFID. [source] ORIGINAL RESEARCH,PHYSIOLOGY: Thermography as a Physiological Measure of Sexual Arousal in Both Men and WomenTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2007Tuuli M. Kukkonen BA ABSTRACT Introduction., Current physiological measures of sexual arousal are intrusive, hard to compare between genders, and quantitatively problematic. Aim., To investigate thermal imaging technology as a means of solving these problems. Methods., Twenty-eight healthy men and 30 healthy women viewed a neutral film clip, after which they were randomly assigned to view one of three other video conditions: (i) neutral (N = 19); (ii) humor (N = 19); and (iii) sexually explicit (N = 20). Main Outcome Measures., Genital and thigh temperatures were continuously recorded using a TSA ImagIR camera. Subjective measures of sexual arousal, humor, and relaxation were assessed using Likert-style questions prior to showing the baseline video and following each film. Results., Statistical (Tukey HSD) post-hoc comparisons (P < 0.05) demonstrated that both men and women viewing the sexually arousing video had significantly greater genital temperature (mean = 33.89°C, SD = 1.00) than those in the humor (mean = 32.09°C, SD = 0.93) or neutral (mean = 32.13°C, SD = 1.24) conditions. Men and women in the erotic condition did not differ from each other in time to peak genital temperature (men mean = 664.6 seconds, SD = 164.99; women mean = 743 seconds, SD = 137.87). Furthermore, genital temperature was significantly and highly correlated with subjective ratings of sexual arousal (range r = 0.51,0.68, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in thigh temperature between groups. Conclusion., Thermal imaging is a promising technology for the assessment of physiological sexual arousal in both men and women. Kukkonen TM, Binik YM, Amsel R, and Carrier S. Thermography as a physiological measure of sexual arousal in both men and women. J Sex Med 2007;4:93,105. [source] Cyclic olefin homopolymer-based microfluidics for protein crystallization and in situ X-ray diffractionACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 9 2009Soheila Emamzadah Microfluidics is a promising technology for the rapid identification of protein crystallization conditions. However, most of the existing systems utilize silicone elastomers as the chip material which, despite its many benefits, is highly permeable to water vapour. This limits the time available for protein crystallization to less than a week. Here, the use of a cyclic olefin homopolymer-based microfluidics system for protein crystallization and in situ X-ray diffraction is described. Liquid handling in this system is performed in 2,mm thin transparent cards which contain 500 chambers, each with a volume of 320,nl. Microbatch, vapour-diffusion and free-interface diffusion protocols for protein crystallization were implemented and crystals were obtained of a number of proteins, including chicken lysozyme, bovine trypsin, a human p53 protein containing both the DNA-binding and oligomerization domains bound to DNA and a functionally important domain of Arabidopsis Morpheus' molecule 1 (MOM1). The latter two polypeptides have not been crystallized previously. For X-ray diffraction analysis, either the cards were opened to allow mounting of the crystals on loops or the crystals were exposed to X-rays in situ. For lysozyme, an entire X-ray diffraction data set at 1.5,Ĺ resolution was collected without removing the crystal from the card. Thus, cyclic olefin homopolymer-based microfluidics systems have the potential to further automate protein crystallization and structural genomics efforts. [source] Continuous Beer Fermentation Using Immobilized Yeast Cell Bioreactor SystemsBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2005Brányik Traditional beer fermentation and maturation processes use open fermentation and lager tanks. Although these vessels had previously been considered indispensable, during the past decades they were in many breweries replaced by large production units (cylindroconical tanks). These have proved to be successful, both providing operating advantages and ensuring the quality of the final beer. Another promising contemporary technology, namely, continuous beer fermentation using immobilized brewing yeast, by contrast, has found only a limited number of industrial applications. Continuous fermentation systems based on immobilized cell technology, albeit initially successful, were condemned to failure for several reasons. These include engineering problems (excess biomass and problems with CO2 removal, optimization of operating conditions, clogging and channeling of the reactor), unbalanced beer flavor (altered cell physiology, cell aging), and unrealized cost advantages (carrier price, complex and unstable operation). However, recent development in reactor design and understanding of immobilized cell physiology, together with application of novel carrier materials, could provide a new stimulus to both research and application of this promising technology. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||