Solubility of Carbon Dioxide in Secondary Butyl Alcohol at High Pressures: Experimental and Modeling with CPA

Mixtures of carbon dioxide and secondary butyl alcohol at high pressures are interesting for a range of industrial applications. Therefore, it is important to have trustworthy experimental data on the high-pressure phase behavior of this mixture over a wide range of temperatures. In addition, an accurate thermodynamic model is necessary for the optimal design and operation of processes. In this study, bubble points of binary mixtures of CO2 + secondary butyl alcohol were measured using a synthetic method. Measurements covered a CO2 molar concentration range of (0.10–0.57) % and temperatures from (293 to 370) K, with pressures reaching up to 11 MPa. The experimental data were modelled by the cubic plus association (CPA) equation of state (EoS), as well as the more simple Soave–Redlich–Kwong (SRK) EoS. Predictive and correlative modes were considered for both models. In the predictive mode, the CPA performs better than the SRK because it also considers associations

Assessment of stroke volumeindex with three different bioimpedance algorithms: lack of agreement compared to thermodilution

Objective: The accuracy of bioimpedance stroke volume index (SVI) is questionable as studies report inconsistent results. It remains unclear whether the algorithms alone are responsible for these findings. We analyzed the raw impedance data with three algorithms and compared bioimpedance SVI to transpulmonary thermodilution (SVITD). Design and setting: Prospective observational clinical study in a university hospital. Patients: Twenty adult patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Interventions: SVITD and bioimpedance parameters were simultaneously obtained before surgery (t1), after bypass (t2), after sternal closure (t3), at the intensive care unit (t4), at normothermia (t5), after extubation (t6) and before discharge (t7). Bioimpedance data were analyzed off-line using cylinder (Kubicek: SVIK; Wang: SVIW) and truncated cone based algorithms (Sramek-Bernstein: SVISB). Measurements and results: Bias and precision between the SVITD and SVIK, SVISB, and SVIW was 1.0± 10.8, 9.8± 11.4, and -15.7± 8.2ml/m2 respectively, while the mean error was abundantly above 30%. Analysis of data per time moment resulted in a mean error above 30%, except for SVIW at t2 (28%). Conclusions: Estimation of SVI by cylinder or truncated cone based algorithms is not reliable for clinical decision making in patients undergoing CABG surgery. A more robust approach for estimating bioimpedance based SVI may exclude inconsistencies in the underlying algorithms in existing thoracic bioimpedance cardiography devices

Genotype–Phenotype Correlation in DFNB8/10 Families with TMPRSS3 Mutations

In the present study, genotype–phenotype correlations in eight Dutch DFNB8/10 families with compound heterozygous mutations in TMPRSS3 were addressed. We compared the phenotypes of the families by focusing on the mutation data. The compound heterozygous variants in the TMPRSS3 gene in the present families included one novel variant, p.Val199Met, and four previously described pathogenic variants, p.Ala306Thr, p.Thr70fs, p.Ala138Glu, and p.Cys107Xfs. In addition, the p.Ala426Thr variant, which had previously been reported as a possible polymorphism, was found in one family. All affected family members reported progressive bilateral hearing impairment, with variable onset ages and progression rates. In general, the hearing impairment affected the high frequencies first, and sooner or later, depending on the mutation, the low frequencies started to deteriorate, which eventually resulted in a flat audiogram configuration. The ski-slope audiogram configuration is suggestive for the involvement of TMPRSS3. Our data suggest that not only the protein truncating mutation p.T70fs has a severe effect but also the amino acid substitutions p.Ala306Thr and p.Val199Met. A combination of two of these three mutations causes prelingual profound hearing impairment. However, in combination with the p.Ala426Thr or p.Ala138Glu mutations, a milder phenotype with postlingual onset of the hearing impairment is seen. Therefore, the latter mutations are likely to be less detrimental for protein function. Further studies are needed to distinguish possible phenotypic differences between different TMPRSS3 mutations. Evaluation of performance of patients with a cochlear implant indicated that this is a good treatment option for patients with TMPRSS3 mutations as satisfactory speech reception was reached after implantation

Differential effects of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and estradiol on carotenoid deposition in an avian sexually selected signal

Recent studies have demonstrated that carotenoid-based traits are under the control of testosterone (T) by up-regulation of carotenoid carriers (lipoproteins) and/or tissue-specific uptake of carotenoids. T can be converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2), and variation in conversion rate may partly explain some contradictory findings in the literature. Moreover, most studies on the effect of T on sexual signals have focused on the male sex only, while in many species females show the same signal, albeit to a lesser extent. We studied the effects of T, DHT, and E2 treatment in male and female diamond doves Geopelia cuneata in which both sexes have an enlarged red eye ring, which is more pronounced in males. We first showed that this periorbital ring contains very high concentration of carotenoids, of which most are lutein esters. Both T and DHT were effective in enhancing hue, UV-chroma and size in both sexes, while E2 was ineffective. However, E2 dramatically increased the concentration of circulating lipoproteins. We conclude that in both sexes both color and size of the secondary sexual trait are androgen dependent. The action of androgens is independent of lipoproteins regulation. Potential mechanisms and their consequences for trade-off are discussed