Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Signaling Pathways Activated By Interleukin-2 And Interluekin-4 Receptors Mediate T Lymphocyte Clonal Expansion, Kristen K. Comfort

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Cells sense and respond to chemical and physical stimuli through signal transduction pathways, which mediate cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and survival. The cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) are key regulators of the adaptive immune system, particularly influencing the clonal expansion and differentiation of T cells. At least in culture, both synergistic and antagonistic effects of IL-2 and IL-4 co-stimulation have been reported; the antagonism, when observed, is thought to arise from the utilization of a common subunit shared by IL-2 and IL-4 receptors. We have sought to characterize IL-2 and IL-4 signaling at the level of intracellular pathways activated …

Theoretical Techniques For Determining Precise Thermophysical Properties, Mohamad Hadi Kassaee

Masters Theses

Quantum mechanics (QM) calculations, coupled with statistical mechanics (SM), provide a means to obtain thermophysical properties from first principles. Because of the limitations in modern computational resources, many of these properties are obtained for isolated molecules. Despite this limitation, QM is still very useful for thermophysical property generation in an ideal gas reference state where the molecules are isolated.

In this thesis, a combination of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics calculations is used to generate entropies of aromatic compounds in the ideal gas reference state. This information is necessary for practical calculations such as the determination of the free energy …

Thermoeconomics Of Seasonal Latent Heat Storage System, Yaşar Demirel, H. Hüseyin Öztürk

Papers in Thermal Mechanics

A simple thermoeconomic analysis is performed for a seasonal latent heat storage system for heating a greenhouse. The system consists of three units that are a set of 18 packed-bed solar air heaters, a latent heat storage tank with 6,000 kg of technical grade paraffin wax as phase-changing material, and a greenhouse of 180m2. The cost rate balance for the output of a unit is used to estimate the specific cost of exergy for a yearly operation. Based on the cost rate of exergy, fixed capital investment, operating cost, and economic data, approximate cash-flow diagrams have been prepared. The systems …

Reliable Initialization Strategy For The Equal Area Rule In Flash Calculations Of Ternary Systems, Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet

Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet

In this paper, we describe a new approach for the initialization and application of the Equal Area Rule (EAR) algorithm in flash calculations of ternary systems. Specifically, the composition vector that globally minimizes the Tangent Plane Distance Function is used to estimate good initial values for the tie-line vector used in the EAR algorithm. We have applied this strategy in flash calculations of several ternary systems including polymer mixtures and our results show that the proposed approach is robust and efficient for the initialization of EAR algorithm.

The Performance Of Simulated Annealing In Parameter Estimation For Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium Modeling, Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet, Ulises I. Bravo-Sánchez, Florianne Castillo-Borja, Javier G. Zapiain-Salinas, Juan José Soto-Bernal

Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet

In this paper we report the application and evaluation of the simulated annealing (SA) optimization method in parameter estimation for vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) modeling. We tested this optimization method using the classical least squares and error-in-variable approaches. The reliability and efficiency of the data-fitting procedure are also considered using different values for algorithm parameters of the SA method. Our results indicate that this method, when properly implemented, is a robust procedure for nonlinear parameter estimation in thermodynamic models. However, in difficult problems it still can converge to local optimums of the objective function.

Modeling, Simulation, And Optimization Of The Catalytic Reactor For Methanol Oxidative Dehydrogenation, Seif-Eddeen K. Fateen

Seif-Eddeen K Fateen

No abstract provided.

Thermal Effectiveness Characteristics Of Low Approach Indirect Evaporative Cooling Systems In Buildings, Ben Costelloe, Donal Finn

Articles

Meteorological enthalpy analysis of temperate and maritime climates above latitude 45°N suggests that the water-side evaporative cooling technique has considerable unrealised potential with contemporary “high temperature” building cooling systems—such as chilled ceilings and displacement ventilation. As low approach conditions are the key to exploiting the cooling potential of the ambient air, thermal performance at such conditions needs to be investigated. To address the research issues, an industrial scale test rig, based on a low approach open cooling tower and plate heat exchanger and designed to maximise evaporative cooling potential, has been constructed. The thermal effectiveness of such systems (as a …

Thermodynamic Calculations Using A Simulated Annealing Optimization Algorithm, Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet, Juan Gabriel Segovia-Hernández, Florianne Castillo-Borja, Ulises I. Bravo-Sánchez

Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet

Thermodynamic Calculations For Chemical Engineering Using A Simulated Annealing Optimization Method, Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet, Juan Gabriel Segovia-Hernández, Florianne Castillo-Borja, Ulises I. Bravo-Sánchez

Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet

In this paper, a memory-based Simulated Annealing is proposed to solve several thermodynamic calculations that are related to the modeling of phase equilibrium and thermodynamic properties. Specifically, we have tested the numerical performance of this optimization method in Gibbs energy minimization for flash calculations, calculation of homogeneous azeotropes and data fitting in thermodynamic models. Our results indicate that, in general, proposed method is reliable to solve these problems and shows a reasonable computational effort.