Air-source heat pumps typically deliver 1 1/2 to three times more heating energy to a home than the electric energy they consume. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers are working to improve the performance of air-source heat pumps even further by providing engineers with computer-based tools to optimize heat exchanger designs.

The researchers developed a testing apparatus that uses a high-resolution camera to track the motion and distribution of air flow in finned-tube heat exchangers. Data from these laboratory experiments are being compared with computer simulations of air flow performed with computational fluid dynamics software. Once accurate models are developed and validated, engineers could use them as the basis for design changes to coil assemblies and refrigerant circuitries to accommodate the existing air distribution.

The program could increase finned-tube heat exchanger heating or cooling capacity by five percent, improving heat pump efficiency. Such improvements could allow manufacturers to reduce the heat exchanger size, thus reducing material cost and the amount of refrigerant needed.

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A toolkit facilitates quick development of Honeywell Communications Interface (HCI) and OPC-compliant servers. The kit includes a time-out indicator (TOI) feature to overcome situations wherein real-time process control systems become suspended indefinitely or for long time periods. An intermediary object between the client and the resource returns control to the client, if the request is not completed within a predetermined time. The toolkit also reduces server development time through dynamically
linked libraries (DLLs). Click here for more info.

Hebberd Dynamic Simulation Software (HDSS) provides a reliable method to analyze and forecast equipment components that are routinely replaced. The software determines changes in operating condition parameters and fielded reliability performance, ensuring timely replacement of critical components and safety of equipment operators. The software can identify work process stages and equipment performance inconsistencies that are measured and given corresponding alert confidence levels that are used as a basis for actions to be taken. Click here for more info.

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Computational biologists at Virginia Tech have mathematically modeled the process that regulates cell division in a common bacterium. The model was developed to confirm hypotheses, provide new insights, and identify gaps in the scientists’ understanding of the molecular machinery that governs replication of DNA and cell division in Caulobacter crescentus, a bacterium related to the bacteria that fix nitrogen in legumes and to the bacteria that cause brucellosis in cattle and Rocky Mountain spotted fever in humans.

“A lot is known about genes that control this process,” said John Tyson, a biology professor at Virginia Tech. “The mechanism is very complicated, involving dozens of genes and even more proteins. From experimental observations, it is possible to construct a hypothetical wiring diagram of how these genes and proteins interact. Our goal is to convert the wiring diagram into mathematical equations that can be solved on a computer so that we can say with more confidence how the mechanism will govern cell growth, division, and differentiation.”

The team’s goal is also to demonstrate the role of computation in understanding biology. “We want to convert intuitive expectations into mathematical equations that can be tested more rigorously,” Tyson said. In the case of Caulobacter crescentus, the scientists will deploy the mathematical model to make testable predictions regarding the role of mutant genes play in cell division.

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Using embryonic stem cells from mice, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy, functioning muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of muscular dystrophy. This is the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy.

The mice used in the study lacked dystrophin, the same protein that humans with the disease are missing. The study was headed by Dr. Rita Perlingeiro, assistant professor of developmental biology and molecular biology. The researchers focused on manipulating genes that are active in the initial stages as embryonic stem cells start to develop into more specialized cells. The selection of cells was injected into the animals’ hind-limb muscles.

After a month, fluorescent dyes showed that the cells had deeply penetrated the muscle, indicating growth and reproduction. Tests showed that the treated muscles were stronger than those in untreated mice lacking dystrophin. Treated mice also had improved coordination – Dr. Perlingeiro explains this is significant because “it shows the embryonic stem cells have benefited the animal’s quality of life, not simply caused an isolated growth with no overall improvement.”

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The John H. Glenn Research Center has developed a process and benchtop-scale apparatus to detect proteins associated with specific microbes in water. Possible applications include testing of blood and other bodily fluids in medical laboratories, and testing for microbial contamination of liquids. A sample can be prepared and analyzed within minutes. Click here for more info.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center has invented a group of collagen-like recombinant proteins containing high densities of biologically active sites. Customized collagenous proteins are needed for biomedical applications; fibrillar collagens are attractive for production of matrices needed for tissue engineering and drug delivery. Click here for more info.

The Stennis Space Center is developing a method and apparatus for remote sensing of parasitic nematodes in plants that is based on measurement of visible and infrared spectral reflectances of fields where the plants are growing. Initial development efforts have been concentrated on detecting reniform nematodes in cotton plants.
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