Steel Industries in Japan Achieve Most Efficient Energy Cut - off Chemical Absorption Process for Carbon Dioxide Capture from Blast Furnace Gas

AbstractThe most efficient energy cut-off chemical absorption process has been developed in the project of COURSE50 (CO2 Ultimate Reduction in Steelmaking process by innovative technology for cool Earth 50). Through each long hours running by the use of several kinds of newly developed absorbents, high energy saving, utilization of far lower temperature, and extremely low influence of the process to steel making facilities downstream of the process have been tested and verified using of actual blast furnace gas in the steel works

Survival rates of early-stage HCV-related liver cirrhosis patients without hepatocellular carcinoma are decreased by alcohol

Although alcohol abuse is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis in the United States, the enhancing effects of alcohol on the long-term prognosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) related liver cirrhosis has not been clarified. To investigate how alcohol abuse influences the prognosis of hepatitis virus related liver cirrhosis, we studied 716 Japanese patients. Cumulative survival and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development rates were analyzed in alcohol abusive, cirrhotic patients with or without hepatitis virus infection. Patients who abused alcohol were younger (p<0.0001) than HCV infected, non-abusive patients. The overall survival rate among patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (Al group), HCV related cirrhosis (HCV group), and HCV infected + alcoholic cirrhosis (HCV + Al group), showed no significant differences, although the 10-year cumulative survival rate of Al group was the highest of the three groups. The HCC development rate of Al group was the lowest. In addition, alcohol abuse decreased the survival rates of HCV group in the early stage with no HCC (p = 0.0028). In conclusion, alcohol abuse might affect the progression of liver damage in HCV infected patients with liver cirrhosis in the early stage, although the influence of alcohol abuse on the long term prognosis seems to be rather small

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

A uniqueness theorem and the Myrberg phenomenon

The Dirichlet irregularity of the origin which is a boundary point of a Zalcman domainR is shown to be sufficient but not necessary for the occurrence of the Myrberg phenomenonH ∞ (R) =H ∞ (R) o φ for a two-sheeted unlimited smooth covering surface~R ofR with projection mapφ. The importance of the uniqueness theorem in such a study of the Myrberg phenomenon is stressed. A condition under which the Myrberg phenomenon fails for the covering surface (~R, R, φ) is also considered

Implantation of Recyclability and Healability into Cross-Linked Commercial Polymers by Applying the Vitrimer Concept

Vitrimers are a new class of cross-linked materials that are capable of network topology alternation through the associative dynamic bond-exchange mechanism, which has recently been invented to solve the problem of conventional cross-linked materials, such as poor recyclability and healability. Thus far, the concept of vitrimers has been applied to various commercial polymers, e.g., polyesters, polylactides, polycarbonates, polydimethylsiloxanes, polydienes, polyurethanes, polyolefins, poly(meth)acrylates, and polystyrenes, by utilizing different compatible bond-exchange reactions. In this review article, the concept of vitrimers is described by clarifying the difference from thermoplastics and supramolecular systems; in addition, the term &ldquo;associative bond-exchange&rdquo; in vitrimers is explained by comparison with the &ldquo;dissociative&rdquo; term. Several useful functions attained by the vitrimer concept (including recyclability and healability) are demonstrated, and recent molecular designs of vitrimers are classified into groups depending on the types of molecular frameworks. This review specifically focuses on the vitrimer molecular designs with commercial polymer-based frameworks, which provide useful hints for the practical application of the vitrimer concept