Numerical and experimental investigation of heat transfer enhancement in double tube heat exchanger using nail rod inserts.

The Double-tube heat exchanger (DTHX) is widely favored across various industries due to its compact size, low maintenance requirements, and ability to operate effectively in high-pressure applications. This study explores methods to enhance heat transfer within a DTHX using both experimental and numerical approaches, specifically by integrating a nail rod insert (NRI). A steel nails rod insert, 1000 mm in length, is introduced into the DTHX, which is subjected to turbulent flows characterized by Reynolds numbers ranging from 3200 to 5700. Three different pitches of NRI (100 mm, 50 mm, and 25 mm) are investigated. The results indicate a significant increase in the Nusselt (Nu) number upon the insertion of nail rods, with further improvements achievable by reducing the pitch length. Particularly noteworthy is the Nu number enhancement ratio for the 25 mm pitch NRI, which is 1.81-1.9 times higher than that for the plain tube. However, it is observed that pressure drop increases in all configurations with NRI due to heightened turbulence and obstruction by the NRI. Among the various pitch lengths, the 25 mm pitch exhibits the highest pressure drop values. Moreover, exergy efficiency is found to improve across all cases with NRI, corresponding to increased heat transfer, with the 25 mm pitch length showing a remarkable 128% improvement. Numerical analysis reveals that the novel insert enhances flow turbulence through the generation of secondary flows, thereby enhancing heat transfer within the DTHX. This study provides a comprehensive analysis, including temperature, velocity, and pressure drop distributions derived from numerical simulations.

Oral phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors: effect of heme oxygenase inhibition on cGMP signalling in rat cavernous tissue.

This work postulated that heme oxygenase (HO) is partly responsible for controlling phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor actions by modulating cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) cavernous tissue levels. Five hundred and four male Sprague-Dawley rats, divided into five groups, were investigated. Group 1 (n=72) included controls, group 2 (n=72) received sildenafil citrate (Viagra) orally, group 3 (n=72) received vardenafil hydrochloride (Levitra), group 4 (n=72) received tadalafil (Cialis). Group 5 (n=216), subdivided into three subgroups (A, B and C, 72 each), received the same dose of each drug with the HO inhibitor, Zn protoporphyrin. Eight rats from each group/subgroup were killed at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 18, 24 and 36 h when cGMP levels in the cavernous tissues were estimated. Cavernous tissue cGMP levels increased significantly in sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil-treated rats compared to the controls with significant decreases after HO inhibition. It is concluded that the effects of these PDE-5 inhibitors in rat cavernous tissue are partly mediated through HO activity via the cGMP signalling pathway.

Failure of detection of mucin in the clear halos around the epidermotropic lymphocytes in mycosis fungoides.

Epidermotropic lymphocytes in mycosis fungoides typically reside in clear lacunae. The material forming this space is unknown. Thirty specimens from 30 patients with mycosis fungoides were stained with alcian blue, modified Mowry's colloidal iron and mucicarmine to determine if some form of mucin could be identified. Using these stains, no form of mucin was noted in the lacunae surrounding the epidermotropic lymphocytes of mycosis fungoides. The cause of the clear spaces around epidermotropic lymphocytes in mycosis fungoides remains unexplained, but is unlikely to represent mucin deposition.

Electrodeposited iridium oxide pH electrode for measurement of extracellular myocardial acidosis during acute ischemia.

In the present paper, fabrication, characterization, and physiological applications of a solid-state pH electrode are described. The pH sensing layer was based on an anodic electrodeposited iridium oxide film (AEIROF). Sputtered platinum electrodes (1 mm diameter) fabricated on flexible Kapton films or platinum wires were used as planar or cylindrical supports. Each electrode site was coated with Nafion to attenuate the interference of anionic redox species and to protect the electrode surface during in vivo measurements. Performance of the AEIROF was evaluated, for the first time, as a pH electrode and proved to have a slightly super-Nernstian response with slope of -63.5 +/- 2.2 mV/pH unit for both wire and planar sputtered platinum electrodes. Linear pH responses were obtained in the pH range 2-10. The electrodes have a working lifetime of at least 1 month with accuracy of about 0.02 pH unit and fast response time. The electrodes showed very low sensitivities for different species, such as Na+, K+, Li+, NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, dissolved oxygen, lactate, ascorbate, and urate, which are important for physiological applications. The electrodes were applied in extracellular pH measurements during brief regional ischemia in a swine heart and no-flow ischemia in an isolated rabbit papillary muscle. A first report on extracellular pH, K+, and lactate simultaneous measurements during no-flow ischemia using the AEIROF pH electrode and the previously described K+ and lactate electrodes is presented as well.

pHi and pHo at different depths in perfused myocardium measured by confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Confocal microscopy and the H+-sensitive fluorophore carboxyseminaphthorhodafluor-1 (SNARF-1) were used to measure either intracellular pH (pHi) or extracellular pH (pHo) in isolated, arterially perfused rabbit papillary muscles. Single-excitation, dual-emission fluorescent images of the endocardial surface and underlying myocardium to a depth of 300 micron were simultaneously recorded from perfused cylindrical muscles suspended in a controlled atmosphere oriented oblique to the focal plane. Contraction was inhibited by the addition of butanedione monoxime. In separate muscles, pHo was measured during continuous perfusion of SNARF-1 free acid. pHi measurements were made after the muscle was loaded with SNARF-1/AM and the extracellular space was cleared of residual fluorophore. Initial experiments demonstrated the uniformity of ratiometric measurements as a function of pH, image depth, and fluorophore concentration, thereby establishing the potential feasibility of this method for quantitative intramural pH measurements. In subsequent experiments, the method was validated in isolated, arterially perfused rabbit papillary muscle during normal arterial perfusion and as pHi and pHo were altered by applying CO2 externally, exchanging HEPES and bicarbonate buffers, and changing pHi with NH4Cl washout. We conclude that in situ confocal fluorescent microscopy can measure pHi and pHo changes at the endocardial surface and deeper endocardial layers in arterially perfused ventricular myocardium. This method has the potential to study pHi regulation in perfused myocardium at boundaries where diffusion of gases, metabolites, and peptides are expected to modify processes that regulate pHi.

A conducting salt-based amperometric biosensor for measurement of extracellular lactate accumulation in ischemic myocardium.

In this paper, fabrication, characterization, and physiological application of a miniaturized amperometric lactate biosensor are described. The sensor is based on cross-linked lactate oxidase and tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyano-quinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ) charge transfer complex. The sensor was developed for continuous quantitative measurement of the lactate accumulation in ischemic myocardium under severe depletion of oxygen. The sensor was evaluated in vitro at an applied potential of 0.15 V vs Ag/AgCl; it proved to combine all the performance characteristics desired for the present application, such as proper response in absence of oxygen, good operational stability, good accuracy and precision (103.5 +/- 1.2%), adequate response time (t95% = 80 s), and wide linear dynamic range up to 27 mM (r = 0.9998) in N2-saturated solutions and at 37 degrees C. The prepared sensors (n = 12) showed sensitivity of 380 +/- 90 nA/mM, and a background current of 240 +/- 50 nA. The lower limit of detection is 0.4 +/- 0.15 mM with a S/N ratio equal to 3. Results obtained for direct lactate monitoring in ischemic rabbit papillary muscle under no-flow conditions and PO2 < 6 mm Hg are presented.

Amperometric monitoring of lactate accumulation in rabbit ischemic myocardium.

Fabrication and characterization of miniature, flexible, planar biosensors for monitoring l-lactate accumulation in an ischemic myocardium are described. Three configurations of Au-based electrodes were fabricated by a photolithographic technique on flexible polyimide Kapton((R)) foil. All sensors are based on an immobilized lactate oxidase with amperometric detection of the enzymatically produced hydrogen peroxide at a platinum-electroplated-gold base electrode polarized at 0.5 V versus Ag/AgCl. An inner electropolymeric layer is used to prevent electrode fouling and to reject the interference effects of easily oxidizable molecules. In addition, a diffusion controlling outer layer that greatly enhances the linear dynamic range of the sensor, is obtained by casting a polyurethane external film. The developed sensor was evaluated in vitro and proved to have high selectivity, good operational stability, good accuracy and precision (average recovery = 102.3 +/- 0.4% for control sera), fast response time (t(95) = 20 s) and high upper limit of the linear dynamic range (25-80 mM, with sensitivity of 1.7-0.4 nA mM(-1) respectively at PO(2) = 15 mmHg). Subsequently, the sensor was brought into direct contact with the surface of the rabbit papillary muscle and used for continuous quantitative monitoring of extracellular lactate accumulation during no-flow ischemia.

Development of a diamine biosensor.

An amperometric diamine sensor is developed for clinical applications in diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV). The sensor is based on crosslinked putrescine oxidase (PUO) which catalyzes the conversion of diamines (mainly putrescine and cadaverine) to products including hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide is detected anodically at platinum electrode polarized at 0.5 V versus Ag/AgCl. Platinum-plated gold electrodes used as a substrate for the sensor construction, are batch-fabricated on a flexible polyimide foil (Kapton(R), DuPont). A three-electrode cell configuration is used in all amperometric measurements. The sensor construction is based on three layers: an inner layer to reject the interference effect of oxidizable molecules, an outer diffusion controlling layer, and in addition, an enzyme middle layer. The enzyme layer was immobilized by crosslinking PUO with bovine serum albumin (BSA) using glutaraldehyde (GA). An optimization study of the enzyme solution composition was carried out. With the optimized enzyme layer, the biosensor showed a very high sensitivity and fast response time of ca. 20 s. The sensor has a linear dynamic range from (0.5-300 muM) for putrescine that covers the expected biological levels of the analyte. Details on sensor fabrication and characterization are given in the present work.

A novel ferroin membrane sensor for potentiometric determination of iron.

A novel potentiometric approach for both batch and flow injection determination of iron(II) and/or iron(III) is described. It is based on the formation and monitoring of ferroin with a PVC membrane sensor containing ferroin-TPB as an electroactive component plasticized with 2-nitrophenyl phenyl ether. The sensor exhibits fast Nernstian response for ferroin with a cationic calibration slope of 30 +/- 0.2 mV/concentration decade down to 4 x 10(-7)M ferroin (0.03 ppm Fe) at pH 3-9. Interferences from common inorganic cations are negligible or can be eliminated by a pretreatment with DDC. The ferroin sensor was successfully applied to the determination of iron contents in water, alloys, rocks and pharmaceuticals. The results show good correlation with data obtained by the standard spectrophotometric ferroin method, the coefficient of correlation is better than 0.7%.

Assessment of lead toxicity in traffic controllers of Alexandria, Egypt, road intersections.

Blood lead level (BPbL) was determined in forty-five traffic controllers working on Alexandria road intersections. Central nervous system dysfunction in the subjects studied was investigated by means of performance tests. Biochemical indicators related to lead exposure such as delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase and hemoglobin in their blood were also determined. Results indicated that most of the subjects studied have a comparably high BPbL. They also showed significantly poorer performance scores than that obtained in a previous study with a group of textile workers of the same age and educational levels. The mean of the BPbL in the traffic controllers was found to be 68.28 +/- 13.22 micrograms/dl. This is a very high level compared to an acceptable level of 30.00 micrograms/dl. All neurobehavioral symptoms demonstrated in the traffic controllers could be attributed to a high level of lead exposure.