Could SGLT2 Inhibitors Improve Exercise Intolerance in Chronic Heart Failure?

Despite the constant improvement of therapeutical options, heart failure (HF) remains associated with high mortality and morbidity. While new developments in guideline-recommended therapies can prolong survival and postpone HF hospitalizations, impaired exercise capacity remains one of the most debilitating symptoms of HF. Exercise intolerance in HF is multifactorial in origin, as the underlying cardiovascular pathology and reactive changes in skeletal muscle composition and metabolism both contribute. Recently, sodium-related glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors were found to improve cardiovascular outcomes significantly. Whilst much effort has been devoted to untangling the mechanisms responsible for these cardiovascular benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors, little is known about the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on exercise performance in HF. This review provides an overview of the pathophysiological mechanisms that are responsible for exercise intolerance in HF, elaborates on the potential SGLT2-inhibitor-mediated effects on these phenomena, and provides an up-to-date overview of existing studies on the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on clinical outcome parameters that are relevant to the assessment of exercise capacity. Finally, current gaps in the evidence and potential future perspectives on the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on exercise intolerance in chronic HF are discussed.     

用MBR工艺处理印染前处理废水的试验研究

棉纺织印染前处理废水成分复杂、水质较差、处理难度较大。采用膜生物反应器(MBR)处理经过简单预处理的印染前处理废水,可使废水水质大为改善、后续处理压力大大减轻。在近100 d的现场试验中,得出了MBR的最佳操作参数为:温度25℃,HRT 18 h,MLSS 8 g/L,DO 2.8 mg/L,pH 7.5～8.5。在最佳工艺条件下,SS、色度、NH_3—N和COD_(Cr)去除率分别约为90%、30%、72%、72%。该工艺运行成本约为1.643元/m~3。     

Electric power generation options for the Netherlands to 2000: An evaluation of government's and environmentalists' scenarios

Over the last four years the Netherlands has been involved in a public debate on its energy future, and more narrowly on the role of nuclear power. In this article computer simulation results for two much discussed strateties for the Dutch electric power system are presented and evaluated. A set of four criteria for comparison of these strategies is discussed. It is found that above a critical value further expansion of the nuclear and coal-fired base load capacity is no longer compatible with enhancement of the industrial cogeneration capacity. It is shown that in terms of kWhe-costs both strategies offer rather effective protection against steep oil price increases, though in different ways and with varying implications for Dutch natural gas policy.     

Development of a 3D Filling Model of Low-Pressure Die-Cast Aluminum Alloy Wheels

A two-phase computational fluid dynamics model of the low-pressure die-cast process for the production of A356 aluminum alloy wheels has been developed to predict the flow conditions during die filling. The filling model represents a 36-deg section of a production wheel, and was developed within the commercial finite-volume package, ANSYS CFX, assuming isothermal conditions. To fully understand the behavior of the free surface, a novel technique was developed to approximate the vent resistances as they impact on the development of a backpressure within the die cavity. The filling model was first validated against experimental data, and then was used to investigate the effects of venting conditions and pressure curves during die filling. It was found that vent resistance and vent location strongly affected die filling time, free surface topography, and air entrainment for a given pressure fill-curve. With regard to the pressure curve, the model revealed a strong relation between the pressure curve and the flow behavior in the hub, which is an area prone to defect formation.     

Thermal stress modeling of anode supported micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell

An anode-supported micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is analyzed by a two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical model, which is validated with the experimental I-V data. The temperature distribution generated by the thermo-electrochemical model is used to calculate the thermal stress field in the tubular SOFC. The results indicate that the current transport in the anode is the same at every investigated position. The stress of the micro-tubular cell occurs mainly because of the residual stress due to the mismatch between the coefficients of thermal expansion of the materials of the membrane electrode assembly. The micro-tubular cell can operate safely, but if there is an interfacial defect or a high enough tensile stress applied at the electrolyte, a failure can arise.     

锅炉汽包水位管理与发电机组安全稳定运行

锅炉汽包的水位调节和水位保护是影响发电厂安全生产和经济运行的重要问题。消除水位事故的隐患，应从水位监测保护及稳定水位运行两方面入手，采取必要的技术措施和管理措施，进一步完善发电机组机炉协调控制系统，提高锅炉水位控制系统的稳定性。     

MLEM deconvolution of protein X-ray diffraction images based on a multiple-PSF model

In this paper we analyze the degradation of protein X-ray diffraction images by diffuse light distortion (DLD). In order to correct the degradation, a new multiple point spread function (PSF) model is introduced and used to restore X-ray diffraction image data (XRD). Raw PSFs are collected from isolated spots in high-resolution areas on the diffraction patterns which represent the orientation of DLDs. An adaptive ridge regression (ARR) technique is used to remove noise from the raw PSF data. A target Gaussian function is used to model the raw PSFs. A maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) algorithm combined with a multi-PSF model is employed to restore high intensity, asymmetrical protein X-ray diffraction data. Experimental results using a single and multiple PSFs are presented and discussed. We show that using a multiple PSF model in the deconvolution algorithm improved the quality of the XRD and as a result the spot integration error (/spl chi//sup 2/) and corresponding electron density map are improved.     

Re-entrant melting as a design principle for DNA-coated colloids

Colloids functionalized with DNA hold great promise as building blocks for complex self-assembling structures. However, the practical use of DNA-coated colloids (DNACCs) has been limited by the narrowness of the temperature window where the target structures are both thermodynamically stable and kinetically accessible. Here we propose a strategy to design DNACCs, whereby the colloidal suspensions crystallize on cooling and then melt on further cooling. In a phase diagram with such a re-entrant melting, kinetic trapping of the system in non-target structures should be strongly suppressed. We present model calculations and simulations that show that real DNA sequences exist that should bestow this unusual phase behaviour on suitably functionalized colloidal suspensions. We present our results for binary systems, but the concepts that we develop apply to multicomponent systems and should therefore open the way towards the design of truly complex self-assembling colloidal structures.     

Self-esteem and outcome fairness: Differential importance of procedural and outcome considerations.

Results of a survey of 222 detainees in Dutch jails and police stations showed that outcome-fairness judgments of individuals with high self-esteem were more strongly related to outcome considerations than to procedural considerations, whereas outcome-fairness judgments of individuals with low self-esteem were more strongly related to procedural considerations than to outcome considerations. It was proposed that these differences were due to the fact that (a) procedures more strongly express a social evaluation than outcomes and (b) individuals with low self-esteem are more concerned with social evaluations than individuals with high self-esteem. The implications of the results for other individual-differences factors and other populations than detainees are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

热重分析法研究煤粉燃烧过程动力学的Arrhenius方程修正式

煤粉的燃烧过程常被作为能量的提供者应用于不同工业,为研究升温速率对煤粉燃烧过程动力学的影响.本文采用热重分析法对20℃/min、25℃/min、30℃/min和35℃/min升温速率下的煤粉燃烧过程进行分析.结果表明:随升温速率的提高,煤粉燃烧过程有明显的热滞后现象.根据煤粉燃烧过程的特点,以反应速率曲线波谷对应的温度点,将着火点到燃尽点的燃烧过程划分为两个阶段,并分别采用界面化学反应模型和内扩散模型来描述相应阶段的动力学过程.由所获得动力学参数可知,不同升温速率下活化能E_(ai)和指前因子Ai的动力学补偿效应可表示为ln A_i=a E_(ai)+b,升温速率β对活化能E_(ai)的影响可表示为E_(ai)=△E_alnβ_i+E_(a0).随将常用的Arrhenius方程ln k_i=-E_(a0)/RT+ln A_0修正为ln k_i=-E_(a0)/RT+△E_a(a-1/RT)lnβ_i+ln A_0来描述升温速率β对煤粉燃烧过程反应速率常数k的影响.而后,采用10℃/min、15℃/min、40℃/min和45℃/min升温速率下的煤粉燃烧试验对Arrhenius方程修正式的外推性进行验证,效果良好.因此,Arrhenius方程修正式不仅能很好地描述升温速率β对煤粉燃烧过程化学反应速率常数k的影响,而且还具有一定的外推性.