A New Optimization Strategy to Improve Design of Hydrogen Network Based Formulation of Hydrogen Consumers

This paper describes a shortcut model for formulating hydrogen consumers in hydrogen network based on inlet/outlet flow rate and inlet/outlet hydrogen purity. The formulation procedure is obtained using nonlinear regression of industrial data and represents the relationship between the flow rate and purity of outlet and inlet streams. The proposed model can estimate outlet flow rate and purity of hydrogen by changing inlet flow rate and purity of hydrogen. The shortcut model is used to achieve optimal operation of consumers and it optimizes hydrogen network design. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

One-dimensional Modelling and Optimisation of an Industrial Steam Methane Reformer

Steam methane reforming is one of the most promising processes to convert natural gas into valuable products such as hydrogen. In this study, a one-dimensional model was used to model and optimise an industrial steam methane reformer, using mass and thermal balances coupled with pressure drop in the reformer tube. The proposed model was validated by the experimental data. Furthermore, the effects of flowrate and temperature of the feed, tube wall temperature, and tube dimension on the reformer performance were studied. Finally, a multiobjective optimisation was done for methane slip minimisation and hydrogen production maximisation using genetic algorithm. The results illustrated the optimum feed flowrate of 2761.9 kmol h–1 (minimum 32 mol.% produced hydrogen and maximum 0.15 mol.% unreacted methane). This is one of the few studies on investigation of steam methane reformer using a simple and effective model, and genetic algorithm. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Gendered Representations of Male and Female Social Actors in Iranian Educational Materials

This research investigates the representations of gendered social actors within the subversionary discourse of equal educational opportunities for males and females in Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) books. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the theoretical framework, the authors blend van Leeuwen’s (Texts and practices: Readings in critical discourse analysis, Routledge, London, 2003) ‘Social Actor Network Model’ and Sunderland’s (Gendered discourses, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire, 2004) ‘Gendered Discourses Model’ in order to examine the depictions of male and female social actors within this gendered discourse. The gendered discourse of equal opportunities was buttressed by such representations within a tight perspective in proportion to gender ideologies prevailing in Iran. Resorting to CDA, we can claim that resistance against such gendered discourse in Iranian EFL textbooks militates against such gender norms. These representations of male and female social actors in school books are indicative of an all-encompassing education, reinforcing that the discourse of equal opportunities is yet to be realized in the education system of Iran

Genetic Insights from Consanguineous Cardiomyopathy Families.

Inherited cardiomyopathies are a prevalent cause of heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Both hypertrophic (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are genetically heterogeneous and typically present with an autosomal dominant mode of transmission. Whole exome sequencing and autozygosity mapping was carried out in eight un-related probands from consanguineous Middle Eastern families presenting with HCM/DCM followed by bioinformatic and co-segregation analysis to predict the potential pathogenicity of candidate variants. We identified homozygous missense variants in TNNI3K, DSP, and RBCK1 linked with a dilated phenotype, in NRAP linked with a mixed phenotype of dilated/hypertrophic, and in KLHL24 linked with a mixed phenotype of dilated/hypertrophic and non-compaction features. Co-segregation analysis in family members confirmed autosomal recessive inheritance presenting in early childhood/early adulthood. Our findings add to the mutational spectrum of recessive cardiomyopathies, supporting inclusion of KLHL24, NRAP and RBCK1 as disease-causing genes. We also provide evidence for novel (recessive) modes of inheritance of a well-established gene TNNI3K and expand our knowledge of the clinical heterogeneity of cardiomyopathies. A greater understanding of the genetic causes of recessive cardiomyopathies has major implications for diagnosis and screening, particularly in underrepresented populations, such as those of the Middle East

Revisiting the B-cell compartment in mouse and humans: more than one B-cell subset exists in the marginal zone and beyond.

International audienceABSTRACT: The immunological roles of B-cells are being revealed as increasingly complex by functions that are largely beyond their commitment to differentiate into plasma cells and produce antibodies, the key molecular protagonists of innate immunity, and also by their compartmentalisation, a more recently acknowledged property of this immune cell category. For decades, B-cells have been recognised by their expression of an immunoglobulin that serves the function of an antigen receptor, which mediates intracellular signalling assisted by companion molecules. As such, B-cells were considered simple in their functioning compared to the other major type of immune cell, the T-lymphocytes, which comprise conventional T-lymphocyte subsets with seminal roles in homeostasis and pathology, and non-conventional T-lymphocyte subsets for which increasing knowledge is accumulating. Since the discovery that the B-cell family included two distinct categories - the non-conventional, or extrafollicular, B1 cells, that have mainly been characterised in the mouse; and the conventional, or lymph node type, B2 cells - plus the detailed description of the main B-cell regulator, FcγRIIb, and the function of CD40+ antigen presenting cells as committed/memory B-cells, progress in B-cell physiology has been slower than in other areas of immunology. Cellular and molecular tools have enabled the revival of innate immunity by allowing almost all aspects of cellular immunology to be re-visited. As such, B-cells were found to express "Pathogen Recognition Receptors" such as TLRs, and use them in concert with B-cell signalling during innate and adaptive immunity. An era of B-cell phenotypic and functional analysis thus began that encompassed the study of B-cell microanatomy principally in the lymph nodes, spleen and mucosae. The novel discovery of the differential localisation of B-cells with distinct phenotypes and functions revealed the compartmentalisation of B-cells. This review thus aims to describe novel findings regarding the B-cell compartments found in the mouse as a model organism, and in human physiology and pathology. It must be emphasised that some differences are noticeable between the mouse and human systems, thus increasing the complexity of B-cell compartmentalisation. Special attention will be given to the (lymph node and spleen) marginal zones, which represent major crossroads for B-cell types and functions and a challenge for understanding better the role of B-cell specificities in innate and adaptive immunology

Modification of Heat Exchanger Network Design by Considering Physical Properties Variation

The temperature dependency of streams’ physical properties can have a significant effect on heat exchanger networks (HENs) design. An average value can be utilized during each temperature interval in order to determine the physical properties of the streams. Another method is the use of the physical properties’ values, which vary with regard to temperature along each stream. In this paper, the energy targeting for an ammonia plant has already been done before using both methods, with and without stream segmentation. Pinch temperature, Tmin, and the values of the hot and cold utilities in both cases are different and so the HEN has to be changed. The results demonstrates that when splitting streams into two or more segments within the existing ammonia plant, the pinch point increases by about 3 °C, and hot and cold utilities consumption increases by approximately 23 % and 11 %, respectively. The area of the heat exchanger network also is increased by about 50 %. Finally, an aggregation diagram is introduced for the evaluation of specific heat capacity distribution along the whole streams of the network

Relationship Between Sarcopenia and Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Older People: The Bushehr Elderly Health Program

Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by low skeletal muscle mass and function, which is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and may even be related to adverse cardiovascular events and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate whether sarcopenia is related to electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in a large sample of older adults. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study based on the data collected during the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) cohort study. Body composition was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and muscle strength was measured using a digital dynamometer for each hand of every participant. A person who had low muscle strength, as well as low muscle mass was identified as having sarcopenia. The subjects were classified into three groups according to the Minnesota Code (MC) as major, minor ECG abnormalities and participants with no abnormalities ECG. Results: Of the 2,426 participants, 354 (14.6%) had major ECG abnormalities and 193 (8%) had minor ECG abnormalities. Sarcopenia was associated with an increased risk of major ECG abnormality in all models. After adjustment for confounders of CHD in full model, the OR for major ECG abnormality was 1.47 (95% CI 1.11–1.95) in those with sarcopenia. Low muscle strength and low muscle performance were both with an increased risk of major ECG abnormality in all models. Sarcopenia and low muscle strength increased 28% and 62% risk of any ECG abnormality in the full models [sarcopenia: 1.28(1.01–1.63), low muscle strength: 1.62(1.30–2.03)], respectively. Conclusions: This study showed that sarcopenia and its components are associated with ECG abnormalities in Iranian older people. Although some older adults have higher cardiovascular risk factors, these data showed that further factors such as sarcopenia may be identified as a particular risk factor for future cardiovascular events. Therefore, sarcopenia could be added to the screening of the older population to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events