Characteristic analysis of looseness-rubbing coupling fault in dual-disk rotor system

For the looseness-rubbing coupling fault rotor-bearing system caused by pedestal looseness, the mechanical model and finite element model of dual-disk triad-supported looseness-rubbing coupling fault rotor-bearing system were established in this paper. The research of dynamics characteristics about the effect of rubbing stiffness and looseness stiffness on the system was done with equivalent stiffness model on the loose support, nonlinear finite element method, contact theory and the wavelet packet decomposition principle. It was demonstrated that alternating high and low peaks exist in the time domain while the trapezoidal shape appears in the orbit diagram of the signal. It was also found that the double frequency (2X) has a high energy distribution in the vibration signal. It could be used as fault frequency band of the looseness-rubbing coupling fault. These two characteristics (trapezoidal shape and double frequency) could serve as a basis in diagnosing looseness-rubbing coupling fault

Carbon nanotube composites for glucose biosensor incorporated with reverse iontophoresis function for noninvasive glucose monitoring

This study aims to develop an amperometric glucose biosensor, based on carbon nanotubes material for reverse iontophoresis, fabricated by immobilizing a mixture of glucose oxidase (GOD) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) epoxy-composite, on a planar screen-printed carbon electrode. MWCNT was employed to ensure proper incorporation into the epoxy mixture and faster electron transfer between the GOD and the transducer. Results showed this biosensor possesses a low detection potential (+500 mV), good sensitivity (4 μA/mM) and an excellent linear response range (r2 = 0.999; 0–4 mM) of glucose detection at +500 mV (versus Ag/AgCl). The response time of the biosensor was about 25 s. In addition, the biosensor could be used in conjunction with reverse iontophoresis technique. In an actual evaluation model, an excellent linear relationship (r2 = 0.986) was found between the glucose concentration of the actual model and the biosensor’s current response. Thus, a glucose biosensor based on carbon nanotube composites and incorporated with reverse iontophoresis function was developed

Association of preoperative albumin–bilirubin with surgical textbook outcomes following laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aimsRecently, the effectiveness of “textbook outcomes (TO)” in the evaluation of surgical quality has been recognized by more and more scholars. This study tended to examine the association between preoperative albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grades and the incidence of achieving or not achieving TO (non-TO) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy.MethodsThe patients were stratified into two groups: ALBI grade 1 (ALBI ≤ -2.60) and ALBI grade 2/3 (ALBI > -2.60). The characteristics of patients and the incidence of non-TO were compared. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine whether ALBI grade was independently associated with TO.ResultsIn total, 378 patients were enrolled, including 194 patients (51.3%) in the ALBI grade 1 group and 184 patients (48.7%) in the ALBI grade 2/3 group. In the whole cohort, 198 patients (52.4%) did not achieve TO, and the incidence of non-TO in the ALBI grade 2/3 group was obviously higher than that in the ALBI grade 1 group (n = 112, 60.9% vs. n = 86, 44.3%, P = 0.001). The multivariate analyses showed that ALBI grade 2/3 was an independent risk factor for non-TO (OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.30–2.94, P = 0.023).ConclusionsMore than half (52.4%) of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma did not achieve TO after laparoscopic hepatectomy, and preoperative ALBI grade 2/3 was significantly associated with non-TO. Improving the liver function reserve of patients before operation, thereby reducing the ALBI grade, may increase the probability for patients to reach TO and enable patients to benefit more from surgery

Apolipoprotein B is associated with metabolic syndrome in Chinese families with familial combined hyperlipidemia, familial hypertriglyceridemia and familial hypercholesterolemia

Abstract There is a paucity of data concerning the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in families with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL), familial hypertriglyceridemia (FHTG), familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and normolipidemic families in China. This study investigated the prevalence of MetS in these families and explored potential factors relevant to MetS. We recruited 70 families with 560 individuals ≥ 20 years of age, including 43 FCHL families with 379 individuals, 3 FHTG families with 30 individuals, 16 FH families with 102 individuals and 8 normolipidemic families with 49 individuals. The definition of MetS is determined using modified criteria of National Cholesterol Education Program substituting body mass index for waist circumference. MetS is identified in 60.7% of FCHL patients and 71.4% of FHTG patients. The prevalence of MetS in family members is 36.7% for FCHL, 33.3% for FHTG, 17.6% for FH and 16.3% for normolipidemic families, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.97 (95% CI 1.29-7.07, P = 0.007) in FCHL families compared with normolipidemic families. Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is associated with MetS by multiple logistic analysis with an OR of 1.05 (1.03-1.07, P < 0.001) in FCHL families, OR of 1.26 (1.03-1.55, P = 0.026) in FHTG and OR of 1.07 (1.01-1.12, P = 0.014) in FH families, independent of variables including age, gender, apolipoprotein A1, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Apolipoprotein A1 provided an OR of 0.95 (0.94-0.97, P < 0.001) in FCHL families and OR of 0.94 (0.90-0.97, P = 0.011) in FH families, but neither in FHTG nor in normolipidemic families (both P > 0.05). Thus, apoB may be regarded as a relevant factor in the assessment of MetS in FCHL, FHTG and FH families. However, this finding needs to be verified by prospective studies in diverse ethnicities and warrants additional studies to elucidate possible mechanisms linking apoB to MetS

miR-191 Inhibition Induces Apoptosis Through Reactivating Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein-1 in Cholangiocarcinoma

Background/Aims: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the biliary tract originating from biliary epithelial cells. Although many therapeutic strategies have been developed to treat CCA, the survival rate for CCA patients is still quite low. Thus it is urgent to elucidate the pathogenesis of CCA and to explore novel therapeutic targets. miR-191 has been shown to be associated with many human solid cancers, but the function of miR-191 in CCA is still poorly understood. Methods: We first investigated the expression level of miR-191 in human CCA tissues and cell lines with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The effects of miR-191 on CCA cells were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, colony formation assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. Finally, we utilized qRT-PCR, western blot and luciferase reporter assays to verify the miR-191 target gene. Results: We showed that miR-191 was up-regulated in CCA cell lines and patients. Knockdown of miR-191 by transfection of its inhibitor sequence blocked RBE cells viability and induced apoptosis of RBE cells. Both qRT-PCR and western blot analysis showed that the secreted frizzled-related protein-1 (sFRP1) level was negatively correlated with that of miR-191. Luciferase assay validated that sFRP1 was a direct target of miR-191. Moreover, knockdown of miR-191 led to suppression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation. Co-transfection of sFRP1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miR-191 inhibitor re-activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway as detected by an increased level of β-catenin and phosphorylation of GSK-3β, and restored the expression of survivin and c-myc in RBE cells. Co-transfection of sFRP1 siRNA with miR-191 inhibitor restored the colony formation ability and viability of RBE cells. Conclusion: Taken together, our results demonstrate a novel insight into miR-191 biological function in CCA. Our findings suggest that miR-191 is a potential therapeutic target of CCA treatment

Analysing Efficiency of Waste to Energy Systems: Using Data Envelopment Analysis in Municipal Solid Waste Management

In our day-to-day living, a simple underlying principle is to consume resources in one form or another. This consumption generates waste, which needs to be dealt with in a responsible, efficient and effective manner. Waste is mostly collected and disposed by municipalities. This presents a challenge for these municipalities in dealing with ever increasing amounts of waste to be managed. This is particularly critical in cities, where the demand for these services is increasing. Management of municipal solid waste (MSW) continues to be one of the top priorities for human communities in the 21st century. The model of integrated solid waste management, reduction of waste right at the source points before it enters the chain of waste stream, reuse of generated wastes for recovery by recycling, and disposal through environmentally sound combustion facilities and landfills that meet policy standards are being used by communities as they evolve. Solid waste management is known to be an important contributor to various environmental problems, for example climate change (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions from landfills), disturbing multiple ecosystems (e.g. heavy metal emissions into air, soil and surface water), and improper use of resources leading to depletion (e.g. inexistent or inefficient recycling processing methods for a few particular key minerals or metals) among others. The formidable rise in solid waste generation require suitable management systems, which methodically handle these environmental issues and eventually contribute to move towards a more environmentally sustainable society. This paper presents a method based on Data Envelopment Analysis to analyse the efficiency of Waste to Energy systems, looking not only at maximising the positive outputs (e.g. Energy), but also minimising the negative ones (e.g. emissions). The results provide a benchmark for municipalities to aim in the operation of their Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM)

Molecularly imprinted polymer based on MWCNTs-QDs as fluorescent biomimetic sensor for specific recognition of target protein

A novel molecularly imprinted optosensing material based on multi-walled carbon nanotube-quantum dots (MWCNT-QDs) has been designed and synthesized for its high selectivity, sensitivity and specificity in the recognition of a target protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). Molecularly imprinted polymer coated MWCNT-QDs using BSA as the template (BMIP-coated MWCNT-QDs) exhibits a fast mass-transfer speed with a response time of 25 min. It is found that the BSA as a target protein can significantly quench the luminescence of BMIP-coated MWCNT-QDs in a concentration-dependent manner that is best described by a Stem-Volmer equation. The K-SV for BSA is much higher than bovine hemoglobin and lysozyme, implying a highly selective recognition of the BMIP-coated MWCNT-QDs to BSA. Under optimal conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity of BMIP-coated MWCNT-QDs decreases linearly with the increasing target protein BSA in the concentration range of 5.0 x 10(-7)-35.0 x 10(-7) M with a detection limit of 80 nM