Model aggregated 2D suspensions in shear and compression: From a fluid layer to an auxetic interface?

HYPOTHESIS

Particle-laden interfaces play a crucial role in engineering stability of multiphase systems. However, a full understanding of the mechanical properties in shear and compression, especially in relation to the underlying microstructural changes, is as yet lacking. In this study, we investigate the interfacial rheological moduli in heterogeneous networks of aggregated 2D suspensions using different deformation modes and relate these moduli to changes in the microstructure.

EXPERIMENTS

Interfacial rheological experiments were conducted at different surface coverages and clean kinematic conditions, namely in (i) simple shear flow in a modified double wall-ring geometry and (ii) isotropic compression in a custom-built radial trough, while monitoring the evolution of the microstructure.

FINDINGS

The compressive moduli increase non-monotonically with decreasing void fraction, reflecting the combined effect of aggregate densification and reduction of void structures, with rotation of rigid clusters playing a significant role in closing voids. However, the shear moduli increase monotonically, which correlates with the increase in fractal dimension of the aggregates making up the backbone network. We also observe that these interfaces act as 2D auxetic materials at intermediate coverages, which is surprising given their amorphous structure. This finding has potential implications for the resilience of particle-coated bubbles or droplets subjected to time-varying compression-expansion deformations.

Anisotropic wood-hydrogel composites: Extending mechanical properties of wood towards soft materials' applications

Delignified wood (DW) offers a versatile platform for the manufacturing of composites, with material properties ranging from stiff to soft and flexible by preserving the preferential fiber directionality of natural wood through a structure-retaining production process. This study presents a facile method for fabricating anisotropic and mechanically tunable DW-hydrogel composites. These composites were produced by infiltrating delignified spruce wood with an aqueous gelatin solution followed by chemical crosslinking. The mechanical properties could be modulated across a broad strength and stiffness range (1.2-18.3 MPa and 170-1455 MPa, respectively) by varying the crosslinking time. The diffusion-led crosslinking further allowed to manufacture mechanically graded structures. The resulting uniaxial, tubular structure of the anisotropic DW-hydrogel composite enabled the alignment of murine fibroblasts in vitro, which could be utilized in future studies on potential applications in tissue engineering.

Time-domain Tollens reaction: synthesising silver nanoparticles with the formaldehyde clock

The addition of silver(i) ions to the methylene glycol-sulphite (MGS) clock reaction results in the sudden formation of metallic silver nanoparticles. Stable suspensions are obtained in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone). The time delay before the appearance of the particles, as well as their size, decreases with the initial methylene glycol concentration while their monodispersity increases.

Domain Size Regulation in Phospholipid Model Membranes Using Oil Molecules and Hybrid Lipids

The formation of domains in multicomponent lipid mixtures has been suggested to play a role in moderating signal transduction in cells. Understanding how domain size may be regulated by both hybrid lipid molecules and impurities is important for understanding real biological processes; at the same time, developing model systems where domain size can be regulated is crucial to enable systematic studies of domain formation kinetics and thermodynamics. Here, we perform a model study of the effects of oil molecules, which swell the bilayer, and line-active hybrid phospholipids using a thermally induced liquid-solid phase separation in planar, free-standing lipid bilayers consisting of DOPC and DPPC (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, respectively). The experiments show that the kinetics of domain growth are significantly affected by the type and molecular structure of the oil (squalene, hexadecane, or decane), with the main contributing factors being the degree of swelling of the bilayer and the changes in line tension induced by the different oils, with smaller domains resulting from systems with smaller values of the line tension. POPC (1-palmitoyl-sn-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine), on the other hand, acts as a line-active hybrid lipid, reducing the domain size when added in small amounts and slowing down domain coarsening. Finally, we show that despite the regulation of domain size by both methods, the phase transition temperature is influenced by the presence of oil molecules but not significantly by the presence of hybrid lipids. Overall, our results show how to regulate domain size in binary membrane model systems, over a wide range of length scales, by incorporating oil molecules and hybrid lipids.

Natural Wood-Based Catalytic Membrane Microreactors for Continuous Hydrogen Generation

The development of controlled processes for continuous hydrogen generation from solid-state storage chemicals such as ammonia borane is central to integrating renewable hydrogen into a clean energy mix. However, to date, most reported platforms operate in batch mode, posing a challenge for controllable hydrogen release, catalyst reusability, and large-scale operation. To address these issues, we developed flow-through wood-based catalytic microreactors, characterized by inherent natural oriented microchannels. The prepared structured catalysts utilize silver-promoted palladium nanoparticles supported on metal-organic framework (MOF)-coated wood microreactors as the active phase. Catalytic tests demonstrate their highly controllable hydrogen production in continuous mode, and by adjusting the ammonia borane flow and wood species, we reach stable productivities of up to 10.4 cm_H2³ min^-1 cm_cat^-3. The modular design of the structured catalysts proves readily scalable. Our versatile approach is applicable for other metals and MOF combinations, thus comprising a sustainable and scalable platform for catalytic dehydrogenations and applications in the energy-water nexus.

MO433IDENTIFICATION AND VALIDATION OF PEPTIDIC FEATURES IN CKD PATIENTS AND UNRAVELLING OF A POTENTIAL INFLAMMATION INDUCER

Background and Aims

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is causing serious cardiovascular diseases. Creatinine quantification and eGFR estimation are suboptimal approaches for the diagnosis of CKD, especially at early stages. Therefore, there is a strong need for identification of mediators for CKD diagnosis and prediction of disease progression. In this study we follow a cohort of renal healthy patients (controls) and CKD patients (cases) for two years, defining three time points (baseline, after 12 months and after 24 months), with the aim of identifying and characterizing mediators of disease which could be an indication for the development and progression of CKD and its outcome.

Method

By the employment of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) we analyzed the plasma samples from the patients and identified the mediators1 : lysine (K), an angio-associated migratory cell protein (AAMP) peptide and an amiloride-sensitive oxidase (AOC1) peptide, which were consistently and differentially expressed in cases and controls at all time points.

Correlation analyses between the mediators and clinical markers were performed using the software R-Studio (RStudio Team (2020). RStudio: Integrated Development for R. RStudio, PBC, Boston, MA URL http://www.rstudio.com/).

The AAMP peptide was subsequently tested in a fibroblasts cells culture to investigate whether it was an inflammation inducer, its action was investigated at four different concentrations (0.1nM, 1nM, 100nM, 1000nM). Cells were stimulated for 48h and relative expression of two inflammation markers (CCL2 and IL6) was measured through PCR.

Results

Correlation analyses revealed that the AAMP peptide showed from modest to strong relations with clinical markers such as creatinine, hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen, homocysteine, fibrinogen and parathyroid hormone.

Results showed that the peptide after 48h of stimulation did not cause an increase in the expression of gene CCL2 at any concentration, but caused a strong increase of gene IL6 (interleukin-6), a cytokine promoting inflammation and B cells maturation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, angio-associated migratory cell peptide, might be involved in CKD by inducing inflammation and driving the development of cardiovascular consequences such as atherosclerosis.

Acknowledgments

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 764474.

Hybrid sideways/longitudinal swimming in the monoflagellate Shewanella oneidensis: from aerotactic band to biofilm

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 are facultative aerobic electroactive bacteria with an appealing potential for sustainable energy production and bioremediation. They gather around air sources, forming aerotactic bands and biofilms. Here, we experimentally follow the evolution of the band around an air bubble, and we find good agreement with the numerical solutions of the pertinent transport equations. Video microscopy reveals a transition between motile and non-motile MR-1 upon oxygen depletion, preventing further development of the biofilm. We discover that MR-1 can alternate between longitudinal fast and sideways slow swimming. The resulting bimodal velocity distributions change in response to different oxygen concentrations and gradients, supporting the biological functions of aerotaxis and confinement.

Stability analysis for a thermodynamically consistent model of relativistic fluid dynamics

In relativistic fluid mechanics, positive entropy production is known to be insufficient for guaranteeing stability. Much stronger criteria for thermodynamic admissibility have become available in nonequilibrium thermodynamics. We here perform a linear stability analysis for a model of relativistic hydrodynamics that is based on the general equation for the nonequilibrium reversible-irreversible coupling (GENERIC) framework of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Assuming a quadratic entropy function near equilibrium, we find stability for the entire range of physically meaningful model parameters for relativistic fluid dynamics based on GENERIC. The search for thermodynamic admissibility moreover reveals a fundamental difference between liquids and gases in relativistic fluid dynamics.

Impact of microphysics on the growth of one-dimensional breath figures

Droplet patterns condensing on solid substrates (breath figures) tend to evolve into a self-similar regime, characterized by a bimodal droplet size distribution. The distributions comprise a bell-shaped peak of monodisperse large droplets and a broad range of smaller droplets. The size distribution of the latter follows a scaling law characterized by a nontrivial polydispersity exponent. We present here a numerical model for three-dimensional droplets on a one-dimensional substrate (fiber) that accounts for droplet nucleation, growth, and merging. The polydispersity exponent retrieved using this model is not universal. Rather it depends on the microscopic details of droplet nucleation and merging. In addition, its values consistently differ from the theoretical prediction by Blackman and Brochard [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4409 (2000)]. Possible causes of this discrepancy are pointed out.

Radical production inside an acoustically driven microbubble

The chemical production of radicals inside acoustically driven bubbles is determined by the local temperature inside the bubbles and by their composition at collapse. By means of a previously validated ordinary differential equations (ODE) model [L. Stricker, A. Prosperetti, D. Lohse, Validation of an approximate model for the thermal behavior in acoustically driven bubbles, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130 (5) (2011) 3243-3251], based on boundary layer assumption for mass and heat transport, we study the influence of different parameters on the radical production. We perform different simulations by changing the driving frequency and pressure, the temperature of the surrounding liquid and the composition of the gas inside the bubbles. In agreement with the experimental conditions of new generation sonochemical reactors, where the bubbles undergo transient cavitation oscillations [D. F. Rivas, L. Stricker, A. Zijlstra, H. Gardeniers, D. Lohse, A. Prosperetti, Ultrasound artificially nucleated bubbles and their sonochemical radical production, Ultrason. Sonochem. 20 (1) (2013) 510-524], we mainly concentrate on the initial chemical transient and we suggest optimal working ranges for technological applications. The importance of the chemical composition at collapse is reflected in the model, including the role of entrapped water vapor. We in particular study the exothermal reactions taking place in H2 and O2 mixtures. At the exact stoichiometric mixture 2:1 the highest internal bubble temperatures are achieved.

Interacting bubble clouds and their sonochemical production

An acoustically driven air pocket trapped in a pit etched on a surface can emit a bubble cluster. When several pits are present, the resulting bubble clusters interact in a nontrivial way. Fernández Rivas et al. [Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 49, 9699-9701 (2010)] observed three different behaviors at increasing driving power: clusters close to their "mother" pits, clusters attracting each other but still well separated, and merging clusters. The last is highly undesirable for technological purposes as it is associated with a reduction of the radical production and an enhancement of the erosion of the reactor walls. In this paper, the conditions for merging to occur are quantified in the case of two clusters, as a function of the following control parameters: driving pressure, distance between the two pits, cluster radius, and number of bubbles within each cluster. The underlying mechanism, governed by the secondary Bjerknes forces, is strongly influenced by the nonlinearity of the bubble oscillations and not directly by the number of nucleated bubbles. The Bjerknes forces are found to dampen the bubble oscillations, thus reducing the radical production. Therefore, the increased number of bubbles at high power could be the key to understanding the experimental observation that, above a certain power threshold, any further increase of the driving does not improve the sonochemical efficiency.

The role of gas in ultrasonically driven vapor bubble growth

In this paper we study both experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of an ultrasound-driven vapor bubble of perfluoropentane (PFP) inside a droplet of the same liquid, immersed in a water medium superheated with respect to the PFP boiling point. We determine the temporal evolution of the bubble radius with ultra-high speed imaging at 20 million frames per second. In addition, we model the vapor-gas bubble dynamics, based on a Rayleigh-Plesset-type equation, including thermal and gas diffusion inside the liquid. We compare the numerical results with the experimental data and find good agreement. We underline the fundamental role of gas diffusion in order to prevent total recondensation of the bubble at collapse.

Ultrasound artificially nucleated bubbles and their sonochemical radical production

We describe the ejection of bubbles from air-filled pits micromachined on a silicon surface when exposed to ultrasound at a frequency of approximately 200 kHz. As the pressure amplitude is increased the bubbles ejected from the micropits tend to be larger and they interact in complex ways. With more than one pit, there is a threshold pressure beyond which the bubbles follow a trajectory parallel to the substrate surface and converge at the center point of the pit array. We have determined the size distribution of bubbles ejected from one, two and three pits, for three different pressure amplitudes and correlated them with sonochemical OH· radical production. Experimental evidence of shock wave emission from the bubble clusters, deformed bubble shapes and jetting events that might lead to surface erosion are presented. We describe numerical simulations of sonochemical conversion using the empirical bubble size distributions, and compare the calculated values with experimental results.

Validation of an approximate model for the thermal behavior in acoustically driven bubbles

The chemical production of radicals inside acoustically driven bubbles is determined by the local temperature inside the bubbles. Therefore, modeling of chemical reaction rates in bubbles requires an accurate evaluation of the temperature field and the heat exchange with the liquid. The aim of the present work is to compare a detailed partial differential equation model in which the temperature field is spatially resolved with an ordinary differential equation model in which the bubble contents are assumed to have a uniform average temperature and the heat exchanges are modeled by means of a boundary layer approximation. The two models show good agreement in the range of pressure amplitudes in which the bubble is spherically stable.

A low fructose diet in the treatment of pediatric obesity: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Over the last three decades the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased dramatically among children and adolescents worldwide. As the results of animal and human studies suggest that a diet rich in fructose may be a risk factor for the development of overweight, the aim of the pilot study was to evaluate if a dietary counseling aimed at a moderate reduction of dietary fructose intake (-50% in comparison to intake at baseline) has a positive effect on the body mass index (BMI) of overweight and obese children.

METHODS

Fifteen overweight or obese children aged 5-8 years were included into the 3 month dietary intervention study. At baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks children and their parents were trained to reduce fructose in the children's diet. Anthropometric parameters for calculating BMI and BMI standard deviation scores (BMI-SDS) as well as nutritional intake were assessed at baseline, after the 12-week intervention and after 12 week of follow up.

RESULTS

After the 12-week intervention children had significantly reduced their total energy, fructose, sucrose and glucose intake. BMI and BMI-SDS were significantly reduced by 0.68 kg/m(2) and 0.21, respectively, at the end of the intervention. At follow up, the BMI-SDS was significantly lower in comparison to baseline while the BMI was only decreased by trend (P= 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our pilot study indicate that counseling aimed towards a moderate reduction of dietary fructose and/or general sugar intake may have a positive effect on BMI in overweight and obese children.

Reactivity differences among human T cells from blood and lymphoid organs, analysed by limiting dilution: correlation with specific gravity and binding of peanut lectin

Human T cells from peripheral blood, cord blood, thymus, spleen and lymph node were analysed for their proliferative response capacity to mitogens, for their specific gravity and size, and for their binding capacity of peanut agglutinin. A close correlation was found between these parameters: thymocytes and T cells from spleen were consistently heavier and smaller, and showed a lower proliferative response capacity, than T cells from blood or lymph node. Similarly, within each cell population, the small, heavy cells were least reactive. The limiting-dilution analysis revealed that heavy T cells from peripheral blood contain a lower number of reactive cells than the light peripheral T lymphocytes. Because heavy T cells from the thymus bound more peanut lectin than did light cells, it is speculated that the differences between T cells of high and low specific gravity might reflect differences in maturation level.