A new heat propagation velocity prevails over Brownian particle velocities in determining the thermal conductivities of nanofluids

An alternative insight is presented concerning heat propagation velocity scales in predicting the effective thermal conductivities of nanofluids. The widely applied Brownian particle velocities in published literature are often found too slow to describe the relatively higher nanofluid conductivities. In contrast, the present model proposes a faster heat transfer velocity at the same order as the speed of sound, rooted in a modified kinetic principle. In addition, this model accounts for both nanoparticle heat dissipation as well as coagulation effects. This novel model of effective thermal conductivities of nanofluids agrees well with an extended range of experimental data

Prospective evaluation of weekly concomitant tumor bed boost with three-week hypofractionated whole breast irradiation in early breast cancer

Objectives: A prospective study was conducted to assess the acute and late toxicity of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation with a weekly concomitant boost for women with early breast cancer (EBC). Methods: Women with EBC who underwent breast-conserving surgery were eligible. A dose of 40Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks was delivered to the whole breast with a concomitant weekly boost to the post-operative cavity of 3Gy in three fractions. Toxicity was graded using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) acute toxicity and RTOG/EORTC late toxicity scales. Results: A total of 67 women were enrolled with a median age of 49 years (range 31–69). Median follow-up was 25 months (range 11–34). Acute skin reactions included grade (G) 1 (n = 47, 70%), G2 (n = 10, 13%), and G3 (n = 1, 1.5%). Late skin toxicity was observed in 13 patients (19%), all of whom experienced G1 toxicity only. On multivariable analysis, diabetes mellitus was predictive of acute skin toxicity (p = 0.003), while age less than 50 years (p = 0.029) and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.013) were predictive of late skin toxicity. Conclusions: Whole breast irradiation with concomitant weekly boost appears feasible and safe. Further investigation is required to fully evaluate this schedule as an alternative to conventional whole breast irradiation with a sequential boost

Prediction of Liver-Related Events Using Fibroscan in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Showing Advanced Liver Fibrosis

Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient elastography (FibroScan®) can assess liver fibrosis noninvasively. This study investigated whether LSM can predict the development of liver-related events (LREs) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients showing histologically advanced liver fibrosis.Between March 2006 and April 2010, 128 CHB patients with who underwent LSM and liver biopsy (LB) before starting nucleot(s)ide analogues and showed histologically advanced fibrosis (≥F3) with a high viral loads [HBV DNA ≥2,000 IU/mL] were enrolled. All patients were followed regularly to detect LRE development, including hepatic decompensation (variceal bleeding, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).The mean age of the patient (72 men, 56 women) was 52.2 years. During the median follow-up period [median 27.8 (12.6-61.6) months], LREs developed in 19 (14.8%) patients (five with hepatic decompensation, 13 with HCC, one with both). Together with age, multivariate analysis identified LSM as an independent predictor of LRE development [P<0.044; hazard ratio (HR), 1.038; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.002-1.081]. When the study population was stratified into two groups using the optimal cutoff value (19 kPa), which maximized the sum of sensitivity (61.1%) and specificity (86.2%) from a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve, patients with LSM>19 kPa were at significantly greater risk than those with LSM≤19 kPa for LRE development (HR, 7.176; 95% CI, 2.257-22.812; P = 0.001).LSM can be a useful predictor of LRE development in CHB patients showing histologically advanced liver fibrosis

Lagging-strand replication shapes the mutational landscape of the genome

The origin of mutations is central to understanding evolution and of key relevance to health. Variation occurs non-randomly across the genome, and mechanisms for this remain to be defined. Here, we report that the 5′-ends of Okazaki fragments have significantly elevated levels of nucleotide substitution, indicating a replicative origin for such mutations. With a novel method, emRiboSeq, we map the genome-wide contribution of polymerases, and show that despite Okazaki fragment processing, DNA synthesised by error-prone Pol-α is retained in vivo, comprising ~1.5% of the mature genome. We propose that DNA-binding proteins that rapidly re-associate post-replication act as partial barriers to Pol-δ mediated displacement of Pol-α synthesised DNA, resulting in incorporation of such Pol-α tracts and elevated mutation rates at specific sites. We observe a mutational cost to chromatin and regulatory protein binding, resulting in mutation hotspots at regulatory elements, with signatures of this process detectable in both yeast and humans

Factors influencing insulin sensitivity during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp in healthy Korean male subjects

Dongseong Shin,1,2 Young Sil Eom, 3,4 Suk Chon,5 Byung-Joon Kim, 3,4 Kyung-Sang Yu,6,* Dae Ho Lee 3,4,*1Department of Pharmacology, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea; 2Clinical Trials Center, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea; 4Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea; 5Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; 6Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul, Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground and objective: The effects of age and related factors on insulin sensitivity have not been definitively evaluated in East Asian populations. We proposed a reference range for the glucose disposal rate (M-value) on hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic study and its association with other parameters.Methods: Healthy, non-diabetic young (n=10) and elderly (n=13) male subjects with normal body mass index were eligible for this study. Subjects who passed the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) underwent hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp with high-dose (80 mU/m2&middot;min) insulin infusion.Results: M-values were normalized to body weight (MBW) and fat-free mass (MFFM). Neither M-value was significantly different between age groups (P=0.458 and P=0.900, respectively). An inverse correlation was observed between MFFM and baseline insulin (r=&minus;0.418; P=0.047), baseline C-peptide (r=&minus;0.426; P=0.043) and OGTT 2-hour glucose (r=&minus;0.452; P=0.030). Regarding correlations with other insulin sensitivity indices, M-values were positively associated with the Matsuda index but not with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance.Conclusion: Our results suggest that age is not a critical determinant of insulin sensitivity, while fasting insulin and C-peptide levels, OGTT 2-hour glucose level, and Matsuda index are predictable markers of insulin sensitivity in healthy Koreans.Keywords: insulin sensitivity, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, glucose disposal rate, age, Matsuda inde

Composite SVR Based Modelling of an Industrial Furnace

Industrial furnaces consume a large amount of energy and their operating points have a major influence on the quality of the final product. Designing a tool that analyzes the combustion process, fluid mechanics and heat transfer and assists the work done during energy audits is then of the most importance. This work proposes a hybrid model for such a tool, having as its base two white-box models, namely a detailed Computational Fluid Dynam- ics (CFD) model and a simplified Reduced-Order (RO) model, and a black-box model developed using Machine Learning (ML) techniques. The preliminary results presented in the paper show that this com- posite model is able to improve the accuracy of the RO model without having the high computational load of the CFD model