Influence of Oil on Heat Transfer Characteristics of R410A Flow Boiling in Conventional and Small Size Microfin Tubes

Compact heat exchangers for refrigeration and air-conditioning systems are beneficial to reduce cost, charge inventory and leakage of refrigerant, and to improve energy efficiency and safety. Using small diameter microfin tubes is one way to decrease the size of heat exchangers. Currently, small diameter micofin tubes with outside diameter (O.D.) of 5.0 mm and 4.0 mm O.D. begin to be applied in newly developed R410A air conditioners instead of conventional size tubes (e.g. 7.0 mm O.D. microfin tubes). With the decrease of the tube diameter, the pressure drop becomes much larger, resulting in the decrease of the heat exchanger performance. In order to avoid such performance decrease, the heat exchanger should be redesign based on clearly understanding the difference of the heat transfer characteristics between conventional size microfin tubes and small diameter micofin tubes. Therefore, the heat transfer characteristics of R410A flow boiling inside both conventional size microfin tubes and small diameter microfin tubes should be known. Under real working conditions of R410A air conditioner, some amount of oil inevitably circulates with the refrigerant and has a significant impact on refrigerant evaporation heat transfer characteristics (Shen and Groll, 2005; Thome, 1996). Therefore, the influence of oil on heat transfer characteristics of R410A flow boiling inside microfin tubes with different diameters covering from conventional size to small size should be investigated. Experiments of R410A-oil mixture flow boiling inside microfin tubes with different outside diameters of 4.0~7.0 mm were performed. The experimental results show that, for 7.0 mm microfin tube, the influence factor of oil on the heat transfer characteristics are larger than 1.0 under the conditions of low vapor qualities (xr,o \u3c 0.4), presenting the enhancement effect of oil on heat transfer characteristics; with the increase of vapor quality, the enhancement becomes smaller, and is smaller than 1.0 under the conditions of low vapor qualities (xr,o \u3e 0.65), showing the deterioration effect of oil on heat transfer characteristics. As the tube diameter decreases from 7.0 mm to 4.0~5.0 mm, the deterioration effect of oil is weakened, especially at intermediate and high vapor qualities; for 4.0-5.0 mm tubes, the presence of oil shows the enhancement effect on heat transfer characteristics under the conditions of intermittent vapor quality (0.4 \u3c xr,o \u3c 0.8), which is not the same as the deterioration effect for 7.0 mm tubes. The comparison of heat transfer coefficient for two 5.0 mm microfin tubes with different fin structures shows that, larger fin height and contact area of liquid with tube wall may enhance the heat transfer for oil-free R410A, but result in smaller enhancement effect of oil at low vapor qualities and smaller deterioration effect of oil at intermediate and high vapor qualities. Based on the experimental data for conventional and small size microfin tubes, a general heat transfer correlation for R410A-oil mixture flow boiling inside microfin tubes was developed, and it agrees with 94% of the experimental data of R410A-oil mixture in 4.0 mm ~ 7.0 mm microfin tubes within a deviation of ±30%

Establishment of an Inducible HBV Stable Cell Line that Expresses cccDNA-dependent Epitope-tagged HBeAg for Screening of cccDNA Modulators

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA is essential to the virus life cycle, its elimination during chronic infection is considered critical to a durable therapy but has not been achieved by current antivirals. Despite being essential, cccDNA has not been the major target of high throughput screening (HTS), largely because of the limitations of current HBV tissue culture systems, including the impracticality of detecting cccDNA itself. In response to this need, we have previously developed a proof-of-concept HepDE19 cell line in which the production of wildtype e antigen (HBeAg) is dependent upon cccDNA. However, the existing assay system is not ideal for HTS because the HBeAg ELISA cross reacts with a viral HBeAg homologue, which is the core antigen (HBcAg) expressed largely in a cccDNA-independent fashion in HepDE19 cells. To further improve the assay specificity, we report herein a “second-generation” cccDNA reporter cell line, termed HepBHAe82. In the similar principle of HepDE19 line, an in-frame HA epitope tag was introduced into the precore domain of HBeAg open reading frame in the transgene of HepBHAe82 cells without disrupting any cis-element critical for HBV replication and HBeAg secretion. A chemiluminescence ELISA assay (CLIA) for the detection of HA-tagged HBeAg with HA antibody serving as capture antibody and HBeAb serving as detection antibody has been developed to eliminate the confounding signal from HBcAg. The miniaturized HepBHAe82 cell based assay system exhibits high level of cccDNA-dependent HA-HBeAg production and high specific readout signals with low background. We have also established a HepHA-HBe4 cell line expressing transgene-dependent HA-HBeAg as a counter screen to identify HBeAg inhibitors. The HepBHAe82 system is amenable to antiviral HTS development, and can be used to identify host factors that regulate cccDNA metabolism and transcription

Patent No. US 9,090,589 B2: Specific NNOS Inhibitors for the Therapy and Prevention of Human Melanoma

Methods for melanoma treatment and prevention with selective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor compounds and related pharmaceutical compositions, alone or in conjunction with one or more other melanoma therapies

An LLM-free Multi-dimensional Benchmark for MLLMs Hallucination Evaluation

Despite making significant progress in multi-modal tasks, current Multi-modal Large Language Models (MLLMs) encounter the significant challenge of hallucination, which may lead to harmful consequences. Therefore, evaluating MLLMs' hallucinations is becoming increasingly important in model improvement and practical application deployment. Previous works are limited in high evaluation costs (e.g., relying on humans or advanced LLMs) and insufficient evaluation dimensions (e.g., types of hallucination and task). In this paper, we propose an LLM-free multi-dimensional benchmark AMBER, which can be used to evaluate both generative task and discriminative task including object existence, object attribute and object relation hallucination. Based on AMBER, we design a low-cost and efficient evaluation pipeline. Additionally, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation and detailed analysis of mainstream MLLMs including GPT-4V(ision), and also give guideline suggestions for mitigating hallucinations. The data and code of AMBER are available at https://github.com/junyangwang0410/AMBER.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Comparison of rumen bacteria distribution in original rumen digesta, rumen liquid and solid fractions in lactating Holstein cows

Microbial diversity in different fractions of rumen content. a, the OTU numbers in original, solid or liquid fraction samples. b, Chao1 index in original, solid or liquid fraction samples. c, Simpson index based on OTUs in original, solid, and liquid fraction samples. HFD: High fiber diet; HED: High energy diet. Data are presented as Mean ± SD. Figure S2. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) in different groups. ANOSIM results are presented with box plot when bacteria communities are grouped by diet (a), cows (b), and ruminal content fractions (c) using Bray-Curtis metric based on OTUs. Figure S3. Venn plot for shared OTUs. a, OTUs in HFD and HED. b, OTUs in original, solid and liquid fractions. Figure S4. Ruminal bacteria change in different fractions of rumen content at genera level. LEfSe histogram demonstrating taxonomic differences among different fractions in HFD group (a) and HED group (b) respectively, LDA scores above 2 and P value smaller than 0.05 were shown. LEfSe: linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size. Figure S5. Influence of rumen fractions on biomarker taxa abundance. p_: phylum; c_: class; o_: order; f_: family; g_: genus. Data was presented as Mean ± SD. Figure S6. Predominant rumen bacteria at genera level. a, predominant genera higher than 1% in proportion in all samples. b, distribution of predominant genera in each fractions. (DOC 1371 kb

NRAV, a Long Noncoding RNA, Modulates Antiviral Responses through Suppression of Interferon-Stimulated Gene Transcription

SummaryLong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) modulate various biological processes, but their role in host antiviral responses is largely unknown. Here we identify a lncRNA as a key regulator of antiviral innate immunity. Following from the observation that a lncRNA that we call negative regulator of antiviral response (NRAV) was dramatically downregulated during infection with several viruses, we ectopically expressed NRAV in human cells or transgenic mice and found that it significantly promotes influenza A virus (IAV) replication and virulence. Conversely, silencing NRAV suppressed IAV replication and virus production, suggesting that reduction of NRAV is part of the host antiviral innate immune response to virus infection. NRAV negatively regulates the initial transcription of multiple critical interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), including IFITM3 and MxA, by affecting histone modification of these genes. Our results provide evidence for a lncRNA in modulating the antiviral interferon response

The association between plasma IgG N-glycosylation and neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy: A case-control study

Introduction: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is one of severe neonatal brain injuries, resulting from inflammation and the immune response after perinatal hypoxia and ischemia. IgG N-glycosylation plays a crucial role in various inflammatory diseases through mediating the balance between anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory responses. This study aimed to explore the effect of IgG N-glycosylation on the development of HIE. Methods: This case-control study included 53 HIE patients and 57 control neonates. An ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was used to determine the features of the plasma IgG N-glycans, by which 24 initial glycan peaks (GPs) were quantified. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between initial glycans and HIE, by which the significant parameters were used to develop a diagnostic model. Though receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the performance of the diagnostic model. Results: There were significant differences in 11 initial glycans between the patient and control groups. The levels of fucosylated and galactosylated glycans were significantly lower in HIE patients than in control individuals, while sialylated glycans were higher in HIE patients (p \u3c 0.05). A prediction model was developed using three initial IgG N-glycans and fetal distress, low birth weight, and globulin. The ROC analysis showed that this model was able to discriminate between HIE patients and healthy individuals [AUC = 0.798, 95% CI: (0.716–0.880)]. Discussion: IgG N-glycosylation may play a role in the pathogenesis of HIE. Plasma IgG N-glycans are potential noninvasive biomarkers for screening individuals at high risk of HIE

CHES: a space-borne astrometric mission for the detection of habitable planets of the nearby solar-type stars

The Closeby Habitable Exoplanet Survey (CHES) mission is proposed to discover habitable-zone Earth-like planets of the nearby solar-type stars ($\sim 10~\mathrm{pc}$ away from our solar system) via micro-arcsecond relative astrometry. The major scientific objectives of CHES are: to search for Earth Twins or terrestrial planets in habitable zones orbiting 100 FGK nearby stars; further to conduct a comprehensive survey and extensively characterize the nearby planetary systems. The primary payload is a high-quality, low-distortion, high-stability telescope. The optical subsystem is a coaxial three-mirror anastigmat (TMA) with a $1.2 \mathrm{~m}$-aperture, $0.44^{\circ} \times 0.44^{\circ}$ field of view and $500 \mathrm{~nm}-900 \mathrm{~nm}$ working waveband. The camera focal plane is composed of 81 MOSAIC scientific CMOS detectors each with $4 \mathrm{~K} \times 4 \mathrm{~K}$ pixels. The heterodyne laser interferometric calibration technology is employed to ensure micro-arcsecond level (1 $\mu$as) relative astrometry precision to meet the requirements for detection of Earth-like planets. CHES satellite operates at the Sun-Earth L2 point and observes the entire target stars for 5 years. CHES will offer the first direct measurements of true masses and inclinations of Earth Twins and super-Earths orbiting our neighbor stars based on micro-arcsecond astrometry from space. This will definitely enhance our understanding of the formation of diverse nearby planetary systems and the emergence of other worlds for solar-type stars, and finally to reflect the evolution of our own solar system.Comment: 39 pages, 37 figures, Invited Review, accepted to Research in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Effect of grape pomace supplement on growth performance, gastrointestinal microbiota, and methane production in Tan lambs

Grape pomace (GP), a by-product in wine production, is nutritious and can be used as a feed ingredient for ruminants; however, its role in shaping sheep gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota is unclear. We conducted a controlled trial using a randomized block design with 10 Tan lambs fed a control diet (CD) and 10 Tan lambs fed a pelleted diet containing 8% GP (dry matter basis) for 46 days. Rumen, jejunum, cecum, and colon bacterial and archaeal composition were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Dry matter intake (DMI) was greater (p < 0.05) in the GP than CD group; however, there was no difference in average daily gain (ADG, p < 0.05) and feed conversion ratio (FCR, p < 0.05) between the two groups. The GP group had a greater abundance of Prevotella 1 and Prevotella 7 in the rumen; of Sharpe, Ruminococcaceae 2, and [Ruminococcus] gauvreauii group in the jejunum; of Ruminococcaceae UCG-014 and Romboutsia in the cecum, and Prevotella UCG-001 in the colon; but lesser Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group in the rumen and cecum, and Ruminococcaceae UCG-005 and Ruminococcaceae UCG-010 in the colon than the CD group. The pathways of carbohydrate metabolism, such as L-rhamnose degradation in the rumen, starch and glycogen degradation in the jejunum, galactose degradation in the cecum, and mixed acid fermentation and mannan degradation in the colon were up-graded; whereas, the pathways of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle VIII, and pyruvate fermentation to acetone in the rumen and colon were down-graded with GP. The archaeal incomplete reductive TCA cycle was enriched in the rumen, jejunum, and colon; whereas, the methanogenesis from H2 and CO2, the cofactors of methanogenesis, including coenzyme M, coenzyme B, and factor 420 biosynthesis were decreased in the colon. The study concluded that a diet including GP at 8% DM did not affect ADG or FCR in Tan lambs. However, there were some potential benefits, such as enhancing propionate production by microbiota and pathways in the GIT, promoting B-vitamin production in the rumen, facilitating starch degradation and amino acid biosynthesis in the jejunum, and reducing methanogenesis in the colon