Velocity and Temperature Simulation for a Cylindrical Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer.

The cylindrical regenerative thermal oxidizer (CRTO) came into being later than the three-chamber regenerative thermal oxidizer (TRTO). Compared with TRTO, CRTO has a smaller size and a larger regenerator volume for absorbing and releasing heat. There are few studies on CRTO despite its numerous applications. A CRTO was selected in industrial applications for simulation research. The velocity and temperature of the CRTO were investigated after error analysis of industrial and simulated data. It was found that the velocity and temperature in the regenerative chamber had obvious stratification and gradients after homogenization by the regenerator unit. The velocity and temperature distribution in the oxidation chamber were independent of the position of the CRTO inlet and outlet or the structure below the regenerator, and there were identical periodic changes in each period. A TRTO with primary parameters as those of the CRTO was employed for comparison. The time of the intake and exhaust periods of a CRTO regenerative chamber were 30 s longer than those of a TRTO. The regenerator volume of heat storage used by CRTO for heat exchange increased by 1/6 compared to that of TRTO at the same total regenerator volume. Simulation shows that CRTO had a more uniform velocity and temperature in the regenerative chamber compared to those in TRTO, increasing by approximately 2%; the thermal efficiency is higher, with an average increase of about 3%.

The relationship between serum resolvin D1, NLRP3, cytokine levels, and adolescents with first-episode medication-naïve major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation has become a critical pathological mechanism of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). NLRP3 is a critical inflammatory pathway to maintain the immune balance. Recently, preclinical evidence showed that Resolvin D1 might potentially offer a new option for antidepressant treatment due to its protective effects through the inhibition of neuroinflammation. However, whether they have clinical value in the diagnosis and treatment evaluation of adolescent depression was unclear. METHODS: Forty-eight untreated first-episode adolescent patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder, as well as 30 healthy adolescents (HCs, age and gender-matched), were enrolled for this study. Their ages ranged from 13 to 18 (15.75 ± 1.36) years. The patients were treated with fluoxetine for 6-8 weeks. HDRS-17 was used to evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms. Venous blood samples were collected at baseline for the two groups and at the time-point of post-antidepressant treatment for the patients. Serum concentrations of RvD1, NLRP3, IL-1ß, IL-18, and IL-4 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) pre- and post-fluoxetine treatment. RESULTS: Serum levels of RvD1 and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 were significantly elevated in adolescents with MDD compared to healthy adolescents, but no significant difference in NLRP3, IL-1ß, and IL-18 between the two groups. Meanwhile, RvD1 (positively) and IL-4 (negatively) were correlated with the severity of symptoms (HDRS-17 scores) after adjusting age, gender, and BMI. Interestingly, fluoxetine treatment significantly reduced the serum levels of RvD1, NLRP3, IL-1ß, and IL-18 in MDD adolescents but increased the levels of IL-4 relative to baseline. Furthermore, we observed that serum levels of RvD1 might be an excellent distinguishing indicator for depression and healthy adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to compare RvD1 and NLRP3 between adolescent MDD and HCs. Our findings of reactive increase of RvD1 in adolescent MDD comprised a novel and critical contribution. Our results showed the presence of inflammation resolution unbalanced in adolescents with MDD and indicated that RvD1 might be an ideal biomarker for diagnosing and treating adolescent MDD.

Optimization of Flow Channels in a PEM Fuel Cell Based on a Multiobjective Evaluation.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are known for their cleanliness and high efficiency. However, the limited energy density and high cost are the main obstacles to this technology. This study aims to overcome these challenges and enhance the overall performance of the PEMFC. Five types of PEMFCs with different blockages are proposed and simulated in this study. Afterward, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is performed as a multiobjective evaluation. This study shows that the nozzle effect in the channel enhances the mass transfer of PEMFC and improves water and thermal management, resulting in a reduction of liquid water by up to 35.8%. The blockages benefit the output performance of the PEMFC. For example, the elliptical blockage shows the highest improvement in electrochemical conversion efficiency at 3.42%. The TOPSIS examines indices of power, exergy, economy, environment, and water and thermal management. The multiobjective evaluation shows that the elliptical blockage is more beneficial for PEMFC. This study provides an optimized design of the PEMFC flow channel and a new perspective to evaluate the structural improvement of PEMFC.

Association among calf circumference, physical performance, and depression in the elderly Chinese population: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Depression and sarcopenia are common diseases in the elderly population. However, the association between them is controversial. Based on the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) database, a cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the relationship of calf circumference and physical performance with depression. METHODS: From the 8th wave of CLHLS conducted in 2018, data on calf circumference, physical performance, depressive symptoms, and demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics were collected. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to explore the impact of calf circumference, physical performance and their combination on depressive symptoms. RESULTS: We enrolled a total of 12,227 participants aged 83.4 ± 11.0 years, including 5689 (46.5%) men and 6538 (53.5%) women. Patients with depression were more likely to have low calf circumference (2274 [68.2%] vs. 5406 [60.8%], p<0.001) and poor physical performance (3[0, 6] vs. 1[0, 4], p<0.001). A significant multiplicative interaction was found between calf circumference and physical performance in their effect on depression. After adjusting for confounding factors, multiple logistic regression showed that a significant inverse correlation persisted between physical performance and depressive symptoms in normal (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-1.26, p<0.001) and low (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.11-1.18, p<0.001) calf circumference group, while the association between calf circumference and depression disappeared. Participants with low calf circumference and poor physical performance were 2.21 times more likely to have depression than those with normal calf circumference and physical performance. All results were found to be robust in sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Physical performance was significantly associated with depression in the elderly Chinese population. Attention should be paid to assess depressive symptoms in patients with poor physical performance.

Multiband directional reflectance properties of oil-in-water emulsion: application for identification of oil spill types.

Reflection characteristics play a critical role in identifying, assessing, and responding to different types of oil spills. In this paper, we prepared three concentrations of oil-in-water (OW) emulsions and measured their directional reflection properties in the visible and near-IR range. The spectral differences in reflectance between OW emulsions and oil films were analyzed. Furthermore, the AVIRIS and Landsat 7 images collected over the oil spill accident in the Gulf of Mexico were used to demonstrate the feasibility to apply the experimental results in the identification of oil spill types. The results show that OW emulsions and oil films can be well discriminated in remote sensing images based on their reflectance spectral differences. The OW emulsion is mainly distributed in strips along the edge of the oil film, which is useful to delineate the spill outline and calculate the polluted area.

Bioinformatics profiling integrating a three immune-related long non-coding RNA signature as a prognostic model for clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common aggressive malignant tumors in urogenital system, and the clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common subtype of renal carcinoma. Immune related long non-coding RNAs (IRlncRs) plentiful in immune cells and immune microenvironment (IME) are potential in evaluating prognosis and assessing the effects of immunotherapy. A completed and meaningful IRlncRs analysis based on abundant ccRCC gene samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) will provide insight in this field. METHODS: Based on the TCGA dataset, we integrated the expression profiles of IRlncRs and overall survival (OS) in the 611 ccRCC patients. The immune score of each sample was calculated based on the expression level of immune-related genes and used to identify the most meaningful IRlncRs. Survival-related IRlncRs (sIRlncRs) was estimated by calculating the algorithm of difference and COX regression analysis in ccRCC patients. Based on the median immune-related risk score (IRRS) developed from the screened sIRlncRs, the high-risk and low-risk components were distinguished. Functional annotation was detected by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and principal component analysis (PCA), and the immune composition and purity of the tumor was evaluated by microenvironment cell population records. The expression levels of three sIRlncRs were verified in various tissues and cell lines. RESULTS: A total of 39 IRlncRs were collected by Pearson correlation analyses among immune score and the lncRNA expression. A total of 7 sIRlncRs were significantly associated with the clinical outcomes of ccRCC patients. Three sIRlncRs (ATP1A1-AS1, IL10RB-DT and MELTF-AS1) with the most significant prognostic values were enrolled to build the IRRS model in which the OS of in the high-risk group was shorter than that in the low-risk group. The IRRS was identified as an independent prognosis factor and correlated with the OS. The high-risk group and low-risk group illustrated different distributions in PCA and different immune status in GSEA. Besides, we found the more significant expression in certain ccRCC cell lines and tumor tissues of ccRCC patients compared with the HK-2 and adjacent tissues respectively. Additionally, the expression levels of lncR-MELTF-AS1 and IL10RB-DT were remarkably enhanced along the more advanced T-stages, but the lncR-ATP1A1-AS1 showed the inverse gradient. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate some sIRlncRs with remark clinical relevance show the latent monitoring and prognosis values for ccRCC patients and may provide new insight in immunological researches and treatment strategies of ccRCC patients.

BRDF characteristics of different textured fabrics in visible and near-infrared band.

The directional reflection characteristics of fabrics with various texture structures is an important and challenging topic in computer graphics and visual simulation. In the present study, the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of four different textured fabrics is measured via a self-designed Scatterometry to analyze the effect of surface textures and illuminated wavelengths. Furthermore, a fast and simple BRDF model is provided, and optimal model parameters for fabric BRDF calculation were obtained via a genetic algorithm. The results indicate that the reflected distribution of fabrics is dominated by diffuse reflection and is modulated by surface textures and irradiated wavelengths.

Primary aldosteronism concurrent with subclinical Cushing's syndrome: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of primary aldosteronism concurrent with subclinical Cushing's syndrome was higher than previously thought. Through analyzing a rare clinical case, we summarized the diagnosis and management of primary aldosteronism with subclinical Cushing's syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old Chinese man of Han nationality was diagnosed as having primary aldosteronism with subclinical Cushing's syndrome. An abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a mass in his left adrenal gland and a mass in his right adrenal gland. After finishing sequential adrenal venous sampling without adrenocorticotropic hormone, the result reminded us that the left and right nodules were responsible for hypercortisolism and aldosterone hypersecretion, respectively. Right and left adrenalectomy were performed successively. The pathological diagnosis was adrenocortical adenoma for both. Histological findings revealed that the right one had positive immunostaining for CYP11B2 and the left one had positive immunostaining for CYP11B1. The immunohistochemistry result helped us to confirm the diagnosis. Somatic KCNJ5 mutation (Leu168Arg) was found in the right tumor; there was no KCNJ5 mutation in the left adrenal tumor. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that patients with primary aldosteronism should have a low-dose overnight dexamethasone suppression test to screen for hypercortisolism. It can help avoid misdiagnoses and contribute to proper understanding of the adrenal vein sampling result. Making sure of the nidus of aldosterone and cortisol secretion is crucial for the therapy of patients with primary aldosteronism and subclinical Cushing's syndrome.

Investigating directional reflection characteristics of anisotropic machined surfaces using a self-designed scatterometer.

The directional reflection characteristics of anisotropic surfaces play an important role in the precise modeling of radiative heat transfer and target detection. Nevertheless, the directional reflection characteristics of anisotropic machined surfaces have not been fully understood. In this work, an accurate automated scatterometer was built to investigate the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of anisotropic machined surfaces produced by various kinds of machining methods, including plain milling, planer processing, and flat grinding. The effects of the incident angle, machining method, and surface roughness on the bidirectional reflectance properties were studied. The results indicate that the incident azimuthal angle affects the BRDF of a plain-milling surface in a vitally different way compared to planer processing and flat grinding. When the plane of incidence orients parallel to the macroscopic surface strips, the plain-milling surface displays diffuse dominated reflection (reflected energy distributed over 90°), whereas the other two show mirror-like properties, only distributed about 4° around the specular direction. Under the same surface roughness, the plain-milling surface shows the weakest reflected intensity, while the flat-grinding surface has the strongest.

Comprehensive analysis of competing endogenous RNA network and 3-mRNA signature predicting survival in papillary renal cell cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to exert significant roles in regulating the expression of mRNAs by sequestering and binding miRNAs. To elucidate the functional roles and regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs in papillary renal cell cancer (pRCC), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of ceRNA network and constructed a mRNA signature to predict prognosis of pRCC.We collected mRNAs and lncRNAs expression profiles of 289 pRCC samples and 32 normal renal tissues, and miRNA expression profiles of 292 pRCC samples and 34 normal samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Differential expressions of RNAs were evaluated by the "edgeR" package in R. Functional enrichment analysis of DEmRNA was performed by DAVID 6.8 and KEGG, while PPI network of top 200 DEmRNAs was conducted using the STRING database. The univariate and multivariate Cox regression were conducted to figure out the candidate DEmRNAs with predictive values in prognosis. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve estimation was performed to achieve the area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve to judge mRNA-associated prognosic model. A ceRNA network was established relying on the basis of combination of lncRNA-miRNA interactions and miRNA-mRNA interactions.A total of 1928 DEmRNAs, 981 DElncRNAs, and 52 DEmiRNAs were identified at significance level of |log2Fold Change |>2 and adjusted P-value < .01. A 3-mRNA signatures consisting of ERG, RRM2, and EGF was constructed to predict survival in pRCC. Moreover, a pRCC-associated ceRNA network was constructed, with 57 lncRNAs, 11 miRNAs, and 28 mRNAs.Our study illustrated the regulatory mechanism of ceRNA network in papillary renal cancer. The identified mRNA signatures could be used to predict survival of pRCC.

Monte Carlo simulation of spectral reflectance and BRDF of the bubble layer in the upper ocean.

The presence of bubbles can significantly change the radiative properties of seawater and these changes will affect remote sensing and underwater target detection. In this work, the spectral reflectance and bidirectional reflectance characteristics of the bubble layer in the upper ocean are investigated using the Monte Carlo method. The Hall-Novarini (HN) bubble population model, which considers the effect of wind speed and depth on the bubble size distribution, is used. The scattering coefficients and the scattering phase functions of bubbles in seawater are calculated using Mie theory, and the inherent optical properties of seawater for wavelengths between 300 nm and 800 nm are related to chlorophyll concentration (Chl). The effects of bubble coating, Chl, and bubble number density on the spectral reflectance of the bubble layer are studied. The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of the bubble layer for both normal and oblique incidence is also investigated. The results show that bubble populations in clear waters under high wind speed conditions significantly influence the reflection characteristics of the bubble layer. Furthermore, the contribution of bubble populations to the reflection characteristics is mainly due to the strong backscattering of bubbles that are coated with an organic film.

Optical Properties of Sodium Chloride Solution Within the Spectral Range from 300 to 2500 nm at Room Temperature.

The optical properties of sodium chloride (NaCl) solution were experimentally determined by double optical pathlength transmission method in the spectral range from 300 to 2500 nm at the NaCl concentration range from 0 to 360 g/L. The results show that the refractive index of NaCl solution increases with NaCl concentrations and correlates nonlinearly with the concentration of NaCl solution. The absorption index of NaCl solution increases with NaCl concentrations in the visible spectral range of 300-700 nm, but varies little in the near-infrared spectral range of 700-2500 nm at room temperature. For the sake of applications, the fitted formulae of the refractive index and absorption index of NaCl solution as a function of wavelength and NaCl concentration are presented.