Explore the vast range of titles available.

Accurately predicting the behaviour of multiphase flows is a problem of immense industrial and scientific interest. Modern computers can now study the dynamics in great detail and these simulations yield unprecedented insight. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to direct numerical simulations of multiphase flows for researchers and graduate students. After a brief overview of the context and history the authors review the governing equations. A particular emphasis is placed on the 'one-fluid' formulation where a single set of equations is used to describe the entire flow field and interface terms are included as singularity distributions. Several applications are discussed, showing how direct numerical simulations have helped researchers advance both our understanding and our ability to make predictions. The final chapter gives an overview of recent studies of flows with relatively complex physics, such as mass transfer and chemical reactions, solidification and boiling, and includes extensive references to current work.

This book traces the history of liquid crystal display (LCD) development from simple laboratory samples to the flat, thin LCDs that have become an important part of everyday life, appearing in television screens, computers, cellular phones, as well as numerous other consumer and industrial products. It provides insight into how these products were developed and what might be expected in the future. This account is a personal, in-depth look at the evolution of a high-technology industry from the eyes of the author, who watched it grow from inception to ubiquity for over nearly forty years. The story that is told in this book goes beyond the technical details and into the ideas, visions, struggles, and ambitions of the scientists and engineers who made it possible. In addition, the diverse field of LCD technology encompasses not only electronics but also physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, marketing, and sales. Consequently, this book will be of interest to physical scientists from several disciplines as well as engineers and students.

There are fundamental relations between three vast areas of physics: particle physics, cosmology, and condensed matter physics. The fundamental links between the first two areas — in other words, between micro- and macro-worlds — have been well established. There is a unified system of laws governing the scales from subatomic particles to the cosmos and this principle is widely exploited in the description of the physics of the early universe. This book aims to establish and define the connection of these two fields with condensed matter physics. According to the modern view, elementary particles (electrons, neutrinos, quarks, etc.) are excitations of a more fundamental medium called the quantum vacuum. This is the new ‘aether’ of the 21st century. Electromagnetism, gravity, and the fields transferring weak and strong interactions all represent different types of the collective motion of the quantum vacuum. Among the existing condensed matter systems, a quantum liquid called superfluid 3He-A most closely represents the quantum vacuum. Its quasiparticles are very similar to the elementary particles, while the collective modes are analogues of photons and gravitons. The fundamental laws of physics, such as the laws of relativity (Lorentz invariance) and gauge invariance, arise when the temperature of the quantum liquid decreases.

We present data showing that some foods preserved in lacquer-coated cans and the liquid in them may acquire estrogenic activity. Hormonal activity was measured using the E-screen bioassay. The biological activity of vegetables packed in cans was a result of plastic monomers used in manufacturing the containers. The plastic monomer bisphenol-A, identified by mass spectrometry, was found as a contaminant not only in the liquid of the preserved vegetables but also in water autoclaved in the cans. The amount of bisphenol-A in the extracts accounted for all the hormonal activity measured. Although the presence of other xenoestrogens cannot be ruled out, it is apparent that all estrogenic activity in these cans was due to bisphenol-A leached from the lacquer coating. The use of plastic in food-packaging materials may require closer scrutiny to determine whether epoxy resins and polycarbonates contribute to human exposure to xenoestrogens.

Several studies, mainly in vitro, have shown that chondroitin sulfate (CS) and glucosamine (GlcN) do have chondro protective and anti-inflammatory actions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether oral CS/GlcN supplementation has effects on the CS, hyaluronic acid (HA) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentrations on synovial fluid of equine osteoarthritic joints. Horses with mild osteoarthritis (OA) in tibiotarsal joint received daily PO doses of CS and GlcN (2.8/3.1 g) for 25 days. Synovial fluid (SF) and urine samples were collected before treatment (day 0), and every 7 days, until day 55 (30 days after the end of treatment). Urinary CS increased upon oral treatment, indicating that this compound was systemically distributed. Concerning the SF, CS concentration increased after the end of the treatment and returning to baseline afterwards, while HA and PGE2 concentrations did not change. Despite the systemic distribution, oral supplementation of CS/GlcNfor 25 days was insufficient as an anti-inflammatory support. However, it is possible to infer that there was an anabolic effect upon cartilage matrix. RESUMO: Vários estudos, principalmente in vitro, têm mostrado que o condroitim sulfato (CS) e a glucosamina (GLcN) possuem ação condroprotetora e anti-inflamatória. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar se a administração oral de CS/GLcN possui efeito sobre as concentrações de CS, ácido hialurônico (AH) e prostaglandina E2 (PGE2) do liquido sinovial (LS) de articulações equinas com osteoartrite (OA). Cavalos diagnosticados com OA tibiotársica grau leve receberam por via oral doses diárias de CS e GlcN (2,8g/3,1g) por 25 dias. Amostras de LS e urina foram coletadas antes do tratamento (dia 0) e a cada 7 dias até o dia 55 (30 dias após o fim do tratamento). Houve aumento do CS urinário, indicando a distribuição sistêmica desse composto. No LS, a concentração de CS aumentou após o final do tratamento e retornou aos valores basais em seguida, enquanto as concentrações de HA e PGE2 não apresentaram alterações. Apesar da distribuição sistêmica, a suplementação oral de CS/GlcNpor 25 dias foi insuficiente como medida anti-inflamatória. Contudo, pode-se inferir que houve efeito anabólico sobre a matriz cartilagínea.

Background: Multivariate factor analysis (MFA) could be used for analyzing the complex pattern of correlations among fatty acids (FAs) in the rumen. Objective: To investigate the potential use of MFA to extract information on unbranched FAs metabolism in bovine rumen fluid. Methods: A dataset containing 107 individual records of 26 unbranched FAs from two in vitro ruminal incubation studies was constructed. The MFA was performed using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. Results: The MFA extracted four latent factors, accounting for 86.7% of the total variance. The first factor was positively associated with short (6:0), medium (8:0, 10:0, 12:0, 14:0, and 16:0), and long (17:0, 20:0, and 23:0) saturated FAs (SFAs), as well as with cis and trans monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs) from 14 to 16 carbon atoms (14:1-t5, 14:1-c9, 15:1-t10, 16:1-c9, and 16:1-t9). The second factor was positively correlated with 18:0 and the majority of cis and trans MUFAs of 18 carbon atoms (18:1-t9, 18:1-t11, 18:1-c6, 18:1-c9, and 18:1-c11). The third factor was positively related to 18:3-c9,c12,c15 and 18:2-t11,c15, and negatively to 18:2-c9,t11. The fourth factor was positively correlated with 18:1-t6 and 19:0; however, 19:0 was also negatively associated with the second factor. The 18:2-c9,c12 was negatively correlated with the second and third factors. Conclusion: Multivariate factor analysis (MFA) allowed the reduction of a large number of fatty acids in bovine ruminal fluid to a few latent factors with biological meaning.

In this work, we propose the reuse of apple pomace as a substrate for fungal chitosan production by liquid cultivation of Gongronella butleri CCT4274. Different concentrations of reducing sugars and sodium nitrate were added to the aqueous extract of apple pomace and the best result was obtained with 40 g/L of reducing sugars and 2.5 g/L of sodium nitrate. The results indicate the possibility of producing 1.19 g/L of chitosan per liter of culture medium after 72.5 hours of cultivation, representing around 21% of the biomass content. Este trabalho propõe o reuso do bagaço de maçã como substrato para a produção de quitosana fúngica em cultivo liquido do fungo Gongronella butleri CCT4274. Diferentes concentrações de açúcares redutores e nitrato de sódio foram adicionadas ao extrato aquoso do bagaço de maçã. O melhor resultado foi obtido para concentrações de 40 g/L e 2,5 g/L de açúcares redutores e nitrato de sódio, respectivamente. Os resultados indicam a possibilidade de produzir 1,19 g/L de quitosana após 72,5 horas de cultivo, representando 21% da composição da biomassa.

The aim of this work was to produce mesophase by using preasphaltenes and asphaltenes from coal liquid extracts obtained in a Direct Coal Liquefaction (DCL)  process.  Preasphaltenes  and  asphaltenes  were  carbonized  at  inert  atmosphere  at  temperatures  of  350,  400  and  450  °C  during  180  min.  The  mesophase identification and quantification was performed by polarized light microscopy. The results showed that the highest concentration of mesophase (79% v/v), with mass yield of 12,4% w/w, was obtained from the asphaltenes treated at 400 °C. The highest mesophase global yield (with respect to coal fed) was 4,4% w/w.