Estimation of the critical viscous sublayer in heat transfer problems

Imagining a disturbance made on a compressible boundary layer with the help of a heat source, the critical viscous sublayer, through which the skin friction at any point on a surface is connected with the heat transferred from a heated element embedded in it, has been estimated. Under similar conditions of external flow (Ray1)) the ratio of the critical viscous sublayer to the undisturbed boundary layer thickness is about one-tenth in the laminar case and one hundredth in the turbulent case. These results are similar to those (cf.1)) found in shock wave boundary layer interaction problems.

Functions Of Cytochrome-C In Regulation Of Electron-Transfer And Protein Folding

Cytochrome c, a "mobile electron carrier" of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, also occurs in detectable amounts in the cytosol, and can receive electrons from cytochromes present in endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membranes as well as from superoxide and ascorbate. The pigment was found to dissociate from mitochondrial membranes in liver and kidney when rats were subjected to heat exposure and starvation, respectively. Treating cytochrome c with hydroxylamine gives a partially deaminated product with altered redox properties; decreased stimulation of respiration by deficient mitochondria, increased reduction by superoxide, and complete loss of reducibility by plasma membranes. Mitochondria isolated from brown adipose tissue of cold-exposed rats are found to be sub-saturated with cytochrome c. The ability of cytochrome c to reactivate reduced ribonuclease is now reinterpreted as a molecular chaperone role for the hemoprotein.

Immune responses to hemagglutinin-neuraminidase protein of peste des petits ruminants virus expressed in transgenic peanut plants in sheep

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute, highly contagious disease of small ruminants caused by a morbillivirus, Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). The disease is prevalent in equatorial Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. A live attenuated vaccine is in use in some of the countries and has been shown to provide protection for at least three years against PPR. However, the live attenuated vaccine is not robust in terms of thermotolerance. As a step towards development of a heat stable subunit vaccine, we have expressed a hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein of PPRV in peanut plants (Arachis hypogea) in a biologically active form, possessing neuraminidase activity. Importantly. HN protein expressed in peanut plants retained its immunodominant epitopes in their natural conformation. The immunogenicity of the plant derived HN protein was analyzed in sheep upon oral immunization. Virus neutralizing antibody responses were elicited upon oral immunization of sheep in the absence of any mucosal adjuvant. In addition, anti-PPRV-HN specific cell-mediated immune responses were also detected in mucosally immunized sheep. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of gas injection on drag and surface heat transfer rates for a 30 degrees semi-apex angle blunt body flying at Mach 5.75

Effect of coolant gas injection in the stagnation region on the surface heat transfer rates and aerodynamic drag for a large angle blunt body flying at hypersonic Mach number is reported for two stagnation enthalpies. A 60° apex-angle blunt cone model is employed for this purpose with air injection at the nose through a hole of 2mm diameter. The convective surface heating rates and aerodynamic drag are measured simultaneously using surface mounted platinum thin film sensors and internally mounted accelerometer balance system, respectively. About 35–40% reduction in surface heating rates is observed in the vicinity of stagnation region whereas 15–25% reduction in surface heating rates is felt beyond the stagnation region at stagnation enthalpy of 1.6MJ/kg. The aerodynamic drag expressed in terms of drag coefficient is found to increase by 20% due to the air injection.

Surface pressure and heat transfer measurements in the unsteady separated hypersonic flow field over double cones

Reliable bench mark experimental database in the separated hypersonic flow regime is necessary to validate high resolution CFD codes. In this paper we report the surface pressure and heat transfer measurements carried out on double cones (first cone semi-apex angle = 15, 25 deg.; second cone semi-apex angle= 35, 68 deg.) at hypersonic speeds that will be useful for CFD code validation studies. The surface pressure measurements are carried out at nominal Mach number of 8.35 in the IISc hypersonic wind tunnel. On the other hand the surface heat transfer measurements are carried out at a nominal Mach number of 5.75 in the IISc hypersonic shock tunnel. The flow separation point on the first cone, flow reattachment on the second cone and the wild fluctuation of the transmitted shock on the second cone surface (25/68 deg. double cone) in the presence of severe adverse pressure gradient are some of the flow features captured in the measurements. The results from the CFD studies indicate good agreement with experiments in the attached flow regime while considerable differences are noticeable in the separated flow regime.

Investigations on supersonic combustion in a combustion-driven shock tunnel

This article reports experimental results on supersonic combustion in a new facility. The facility is a combustion-driven shock tunnel, which is cheaper to build than the facilities in which such experiments are carried out conventionally. The observation region is a zone between two parallel flat plates with a 33 degrees wedge attached to the upstream end of the bottom plate. Gaseous hydrogen is injected at an angle of 45 degrees into an oncoming supersonic flow of Mach 2 (approximate) from a port on the bottom plate. The resulting flow field is visualized by a high speed camera in a dark background. Three different test gases, namely nitrogen, air, and oxygen-rich air are used, and the results are compared. A distinct luminosity due to combustion for oxygen-containing test gases is observed. Heat-transfer rates on a probe placed at the downstream end of the observation region and midway between the parallel plates are measured and compared for the three cases. Wall static pressure at 28 mm downstream of the injection port on the bottom plate is also presented.

Site-specific N-Linked Glycosylation of Receptor Guanylyl Cyclase C Regulates Ligand Binding, Ligand-mediated Activation and Interaction with Vesicular Integral Membrane Protein 36, VIP36

Guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) is a multidomain, membrane-associated receptor guanylyl cyclase. GC-C is primarily expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, where it mediates fluid-ion homeostasis, intestinal inflammation, and cell proliferation in a cGMP-dependent manner, following activation by its ligands guanylin, uroguanylin, or the heat-stable enterotoxin peptide (ST). GC-C is also expressed in neurons, where it plays a role in satiation and attention deficiency/hyperactive behavior. GC-C is glycosylated in the extracellular domain, and differentially glycosylated forms that are resident in the endoplasmic reticulum (130 kDa) and the plasma membrane (145 kDa) bind the ST peptide with equal affinity. When glycosylation of human GC-C was prevented, either by pharmacological intervention or by mutation of all of the 10 predicted glycosylation sites, ST binding and surface localization was abolished. Systematic mutagenesis of each of the 10 sites of glycosylation in GC-C, either singly or in combination, identified two sites that were critical for ligand binding and two that regulated ST-mediated activation. We also show that GC-C is the first identified receptor client of the lectin chaperone vesicular integral membrane protein, VIP36. Interaction with VIP36 is dependent on glycosylation at the same sites that allow GC-C to fold and bind ligand. Because glycosylation of proteins is altered in many diseases and in a tissue-dependent manner, the activity and/or glycan-mediated interactions of GC-C may have a crucial role to play in its functions in different cell types.

Bactericidal/permeability increasing protein: A multifaceted protein with functions beyond LPS neutralization

Bactericidal permeability increasing protein (BPI), a 55-60kDa protein, first reported in 1975, has gone a long way as a protein with multifunctional roles. Its classical role in neutralizing endotoxin (LPS) raised high hopes among septic shock patients. Today, BPI is not just a LPS-neutralizing protein, but a protein with diverse functions. These functions can be as varied as inhibition of endothelial cell growth and inhibition of dendritic cell maturation, or as an anti-angiogenic, chemoattractant or opsonization agent. Though the literature available is extremely limited, it is fascinating to look into how BPI is gaining major importance as a signalling molecule. In this review, we briefly summarize the recent research focused on the multiple roles of BPI and its use as a therapeutic.

Experimental Investigation of Heat Fluxes in the Vicinity of Protuberances on a Flat Plate at Hypersonic Speeds

Heat transfer rates measured in front and to the side of a protrusion on an aluminum flat plate subjected to hypersonic flow at zero angle of attack are presented for two flow enthalpies of approximately 2 MJ/kg and 4.5 MJ/kg. Experiments were conducted in the hypersonic shock tunnel (HST2) and free piston driven HST3 at a freestream Mach number of 8. Heat transfer data was obtained for different geometries of the protrusion of a height of 4 mm, which is approximately the local boundary layer thickness. Comparatively high rates of heat transfer were obtained at regions of flow circulation in the separated region, with the hottest spot generally appearing in front of the protuberance. Experimental values showed moderate agreement with existing empirical correlations at higher enthalpy but not at all for the lower enthalpy condition, although the correlations were coined at enthalpy values nearer to the lower value. Schlieren visualization was also done to investigate the flow structures qualitatively.

A unique uracil-DNA binding protein of the uracil DNA glycosylase superfamily

Uracil DNA glycosylases (UDGs) are an important group of DNA repair enzymes, which pioneer the base excision repair pathway by recognizing and excising uracil from DNA. Based on two short conserved sequences (motifs A and B), UDGs have been classified into six families. Here we report a novel UDG, UdgX, from Mycobacterium smegmatis and other organisms. UdgX specifically recognizes uracil in DNA, forms a tight complex stable to sodium dodecyl sulphate, 2-mercaptoethanol, urea and heat treatment, and shows no detectable uracil excision. UdgX shares highest homology to family 4 UDGs possessing Fe-S cluster. UdgX possesses a conserved sequence, KRRIH, which forms a flexible loop playing an important role in its activity. Mutations of H in the KRRIH sequence to S, G, A or Q lead to gain of uracil excision activity in MsmUdgX, establishing it as a novel member of the UDG superfamily. Our observations suggest that UdgX marks the uracil-DNA for its repair by a RecA dependent process. Finally, we observed that the tight binding activity of UdgX is useful in detecting uracils in the genomes.