Analytical approach to transient heat conduction in cooling load calculations

The paper briefly reviews four existing analytical methods for the solution of the Fourier’s equation in cooling load calculations. The performance of nine different procedures (the four methods and their modifications) is presented on an example of heat transmission through a heavy wall under realistic external conditions. For the current case it was proved that the admittance method gives results similar to those obtained by the periodic response factors (PRF) approach, which is normally considered to be more advanced. Possible errors were found in the previously published coefficients for one of the PRF modifications

Trend in heat gains from office equipment

The contribution describes an approach that can be used during evaluation of a view factor between complex emitter and planar absorber surfaces. Rather than sophisticated mathematical attitude, practical way is offered. The source surface is divided into smaller parts with same surface normal and using some minor assumptions, summary view factor is calculated. The contribution is aimed on an error that can be caused considering these assumptions and further on, on a case study (evaluation of a view factor between ceramic plaques source surface and a photometric sensor), real differences are shown

Definice vnitřních zisků jako okrajových podmínek pro energetickou simulaci administrativních budov

Clánek zduraznuje význam volby vhodných okrajových podmínek pro správnost energetických simulacních výpoctu. Okrajové podmínky musí být vázány na úcel, pro který se simulacní výpocty provádí. Je predložen teoretický rozbor, metodologie a výsledky výpoctu ruzných okrajových podmínek stanovených z tepelných zisku pocítacu a monitoru využívaných pro administrativní práci. Jsou identifikovány klícové parametry pro volbu typu okrajových podmínek - pocet zarízení, která se na vnitrních tepelných ziscích podílí, a obecne známý rozdíl mezi statistickým a extrémním prubehem tepelných zisku (pro pocítace velmi výrazný). Prezentovaná metodologie výpoctu ruzných typu okrajových podmínek se opírá o teorii chyb a statistickou analýzu. Tyto nástroje jsou duležité pro stanovení relevantních okrajových podmínek

Inflammation and altered metabolism impede efficacy of functional electrical stimulation in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients suffer from acute muscle wasting, which is associated with significant physical functional impairment. We describe data from nested muscle biopsy studies from two trials of functional electrical stimulation (FES) that did not shown improvements in physical function. METHODS: Primary cohort: single-centre randomized controlled trial. Additional healthy volunteer data from patients undergoing elective hip arthroplasty. Validation cohort: Four-centre randomized controlled trial. INTERVENTION: FES cycling for 60-90min/day. ANALYSES: Skeletal muscle mRNA expression of 223 genes underwent hierarchal clustering for targeted analysis and validation. RESULTS: Positively enriched pathways between healthy volunteers and ICU participants were "stress response", "response to stimuli" and "protein metabolism", in keeping with published data. Positively enriched pathways between admission and day 7 ICU participants were "FOXO-mediated transcription" (admission = 0.48 ± 0.94, day 7 = - 0.47 ± 1.04 mean log2 fold change; P = 0.042), "Fatty acid metabolism" (admission = 0.50 ± 0.67, day 7 = 0.07 ± 1.65 mean log2 fold change; P = 0.042) and "Interleukin-1 processing" (admission = 0.88 ± 0.50, day 7 = 0.97 ± 0.76 mean log2 fold change; P = 0.054). Muscle mRNA expression of UCP3 (P = 0.030) and DGKD (P = 0.040) decreased in both cohorts with no between group differences. Changes in IL-18 were not observed in the validation cohort (P = 0.268). Targeted analyses related to intramuscular mitochondrial substrate oxidation, fatty acid oxidation and intramuscular inflammation showed PPARγ-C1α; (P  0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Intramuscular inflammation and altered substrate utilization are persistent in skeletal muscle during first week of critical illness and are not improved by the application of Functional Electrical Stimulation-assisted exercise. Future trials of exercise to prevent muscle wasting and physical impairment are unlikely to be successful unless these processes are addressed by other means than exercise alone

High BMI is significantly associated with positive progesterone receptor status and clinico-pathological markers for non-aggressive disease in endometrial cancer

Background: Endometrial cancer incidence is increasing in industrialised countries. High body mass index (BMI, kg m−2) is associated with higher risk for disease. We wanted to investigate if BMI is related to clinico-pathological characteristics, hormone receptor status in primary tumour, and disease outcome in endometrial cancer. Patients and methods: In total, 1129 women primarily treated for endometrial carcinoma at Haukeland University Hospital during 1981–2009 were studied. Body mass index was available for 949 patients and related to comprehensive clinical and histopathological data, hormone receptor status in tumour, treatment, and follow-up. Results: High BMI was significantly associated with low International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, endometrioid histology, low/intermediate grade, and high level of progesterone receptor (PR) mRNA by qPCR (n=150; P=0.02) and protein expression by immunohistochemistry (n=433; P=0.003). In contrast, oestrogen receptor (ERα) status was not associated with BMI. Overweight/obese women had significantly better disease-specific survival (DSS) than normal/underweight women in univariate analysis (P=0.035). In multivariate analysis of DSS adjusting for age, FIGO stage, histological subtype, and grade, BMI showed no independent prognostic impact. Conclusion: High BMI was significantly associated with markers of non-aggressive disease and positive PR status in a large population-based study of endometrial carcinoma. Women with high BMI had significantly better prognosis in univariate analysis of DSS, an effect that disappeared in multivariate analysis adjusting for established prognostic markers. The role of PR in endometrial carcinogenesis needs to be further studied

In vivo fluorescence imaging of the transport of charged chlorine6 conjugates in a rat orthotopic prostate tumour

Polymeric drug conjugates are used in cancer therapy and, varying their molecular size and charge, will affect their in vivo transport and extravasation in tumours. Partitioning between tumour vasculature and tumour tissue will be of particular significance in the case of photosensitizer conjugates used in photodynamic therapy, where this partitioning can lead to different therapeutic effects. Poly-l-lysine chlorine6 conjugates (derived from polymers of averageMr 5000 and 25 000) were prepared both in a cationic state and by poly-succinylation in an anionic state. A fluorescence scanning laser microscope was used to follow the pharmacokinetics of these conjugates in vivo in an orthotopic rat prostate cancer model obtained with MatLyLu cells. Fluorescence was excited with the 454–528 nm group of lines of an argon laser and a 570 nm long pass filter used to isolate the emission. Results showed that the conjugates initially bound to the walls of the vasculature, before extravasating into the tissue, and eventually increasing in fluorescence. The anionic conjugates produced tissue fluorescence faster than the cationic ones, and surprisingly, the largerMr conjugates produced tissue fluorescence faster than the smaller ones with the same charge. These results are consistent with differences in aggregation state between conjugates. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Targeted anti-vascular therapies for ovarian cancer: current evidence

Ovarian cancer presents at advanced stage in around 75% of women, and despite improvements in treatments such as chemotherapy, the 5-year survival from the disease in women diagnosed between 1996 and 1999 in England and Wales was only 36%. Over 80% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer will relapse and despite a good chance of remission from further chemotherapy, they will usually die from their disease. Sequential treatment strategies are employed to maximise quality and length of life but patients eventually become resistant to cytotoxic agents. The expansion in understanding of the molecular biology that characterises cancer cells has led to the rapid development of new agents to target important pathways but the heterogeneity of ovarian cancer biology means that there is no predominant defect. This review attempts to discuss progress to date in tackling a more general target applicable to ovary cancer-angiogenesis

Ovarian carcinoma associated with pregnancy: A clinicopathologic analysis of 23 cases and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to analyze and describe cases of ovarian cancer in pregnant women treated at our center and to review the literature concerned, and to discuss the rationale for therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-Three patients of ovarian malignancies during pregnancy were treated at Vali- Asr Hospital between 1991 and 2002. Data on treatment and follow-up were evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The incidence of ovarian carcinoma associated with pregnancy in our series was 0.083/1000 deliveries. Eleven (47.8%) were found with ovarian malignant germ cell tumors, five (21.7%) with low malignant potential tumors, four (17.4%) with invasive epithelial tumors, and three (13%) with sex cord stromal tumors. Seventeen (73.9%) of the patients were diagnosed in stage I and had complete remission. Five of the six in advanced stage died. The mean follow-up was 36.3 months. The prognosis was significantly related with stage and histological type (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Sixteen healthy live babies were recorded in this group, and two premature newborn died of respiratory distress syndrome. Chemotherapy was administered to 44% of the patients, in two cases during pregnancy. Overall survival at 5 years was 61%. In most of case conservative surgical treatment could be performed with adequate staging and debulking.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Early finding of ascitis by ultrasound and persistent large ovarian mass during pregnancy may be related to malignancy and advanced stage. Pregnant women in advanced stage of ovarian cancer seem to have poor prognosis.</p

Examination of the efficacy of acute L-alanyl-L-glutamine ingestion during hydration stress in endurance exercise

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effect of acute L-alanyl-L-glutamine (AG; Sustamine™) ingestion on performance changes and markers of fluid regulation, immune, inflammatory, oxidative stress, and recovery was examined in response to exhaustive endurance exercise, during and in the absence of dehydration.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten physically active males (20.8 ± 0.6 y; 176.8 ± 7.2 cm; 77.4 ± 10.5 kg; 12.3 ± 4.6% body fat) volunteered to participate in this study. During the first visit (T1) subjects reported to the laboratory in a euhydrated state to provide a baseline (BL) blood draw and perform a maximal exercise test. In the four subsequent randomly ordered trials, subjects dehydrated to -2.5% of their baseline body mass. For T2, subjects achieved their goal weight and were not rehydrated. During T3 - T5, subjects reached their goal weight and then rehydrated to 1.5% of their baseline body mass by drinking either water (T3) or two different doses (T4 and T5) of the AG supplement (0.05 g·kg^-1and 0.2 g·kg^-1, respectively). Subjects then exercised at a workload that elicited 75% of their VO₂max on a cycle ergometer. During T2 - T5 blood draws occurred once goal body mass was achieved (DHY), immediately prior to the exercise stress (RHY), and immediately following the exercise protocol (IP). Resting 24 hour (24P) blood samples were also obtained. Blood samples were analyzed for glutamine, potassium, sodium, aldosterone, arginine vasopressin (AVP), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), malondialdehyde (MDA), testosterone, cortisol, ACTH, growth hormone and creatine kinase. Statistical evaluation of performance, hormonal and biochemical changes was accomplished using a repeated measures analysis of variance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Glutamine concentrations for T5 were significantly higher at RHY and IP than T2 - T4. When examining performance changes (difference between T2 - T5 and T1), significantly greater times to exhaustion occurred during T4 (130.2 ± 340.2 sec) and T5 (157.4 ± 263.1 sec) compared to T2 (455.6 ± 245.0 sec). Plasma sodium concentrations were greater (p < 0.05) at RHY and IP for T2 than all other trials. Aldosterone concentrations at RHY and IP were significantly lower than that at BL and DHY. AVP was significantly elevated at DHY, RHY and IP compared to BL measures. No significant differences were observed between trials in CRP, IL-6, MDA, or in any of the other hormonal or biochemical measures.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results demonstrate that AG supplementation provided a significant ergogenic benefit by increasing time to exhaustion during a mild hydration stress. This ergogenic effect was likely mediated by an enhanced fluid and electrolyte uptake.</p