Integrated Design and Control of Various Hydrogen Production Flowsheet Configurations via Membrane Based Methane Steam Reforming.

This work focuses on the development and implementation of an integrated process design and control framework for a membrane-based hydrogen production system based on low temperature methane steam reforming. Several alternative flowsheet configurations consisted of either integrated membrane reactor modules or successive reactor and membrane separation modules are designed and assessed by considering economic and controller dynamic performance criteria simultaneously. The design problem is expressed as a non-linear dynamic optimization problem incorporating a nonlinear dynamic model for the process system and a linear model predictive controller aiming to maintain the process targets despite the effect of disturbances.

Health impact and monetary cost of exposure to particulate matter emitted from biomass burning in large cities.

The study deals with the assessment of health impact and the respective economic cost attributed to particulate matter (PM) emitted into the atmosphere from biomass burning for space heating, focusing on the differences between the warm and cold seasons in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 in Thessaloniki (Greece). Health impact was assessed based on estimated exposure levels and the use of established WHO concentration-response functions (CRFs) for all-cause mortality, infant mortality, new chronic bronchitis cases, respiratory and cardiac hospital admissions. Monetary cost was based on the valuation of the willingness-to-pay/accept (WTP/WTA), to avoid or compensate for the loss of welfare associated with illness.

Experimental evidence of Migfilin as a new therapeutic target of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis.

Migfilin is a novel cell-matrix adhesion protein known to interact with Vasodilator Stimulated Phosphoprotein (VASP) and be localized both at cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesions. To date there is nothing known about its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As matrix is important in metastasis, we aimed to investigate the Migfilin׳s role in HCC metastasis using two human HCC cell lines that differ in their metastatic potential; non-invasive Alexander cells and the highly invasive HepG2 cells.

Elimination of Ras Suppressor-1 from hepatocellular carcinoma cells hinders their in vitro metastatic properties.

Background/aim: Extracellular matrix (ECM) is of great significance for homeostasis in the liver. In fact, one of the stages leading to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) includes accumulation of excess ECM. Ras Suppressor-1 (RSU-1) is localized in the cell-ECM adhesions but its role in HCC is unexplored.

Ras suppressor-1 promotes apoptosis in breast cancer cells by inhibiting PINCH-1 and activating p53-upregulated-modulator of apoptosis (PUMA); verification from metastatic breast cancer human samples.

Metastasis, responsible for most deaths from breast cancer (BC), is a multistep process leading to cancer cell spread. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-related adhesion and apoptosis resistance play pivotal role in metastasis. Ras suppressor-1 (RSU-1) localizes to cell-ECM adhesions and binds to pro-survival adhesion protein PINCH-1.

Synergy of leptin/STAT3 with HER2 receptor induces tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer cells through regulation of apoptosis-related genes.

Purpose: Tamoxifen is a major treatment modality for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, but the occurrence of resistance remains a problem. Recently, obesity-related leptin has been found to interfere with tamoxifen in breast cancer MCF-7 cells. In the present study we investigated the effect of leptin on three tamoxifen-treated breast cancer cell types (i.