EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT OF INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF A TUBE IN COOLING ON A BED OF PASSAGECONTINUOUS UNDER NATURAL CONVECTION

The process behind manufacturing bars and profiles in the steel industry utilizes heating and cooling at controlled rates in order to facilitate changes in their geometries, as well as to obtain desired changes in mechanical steel properties.This work develops an experimental procedure to reproduce the thermal behavior tubes over a cooling bed. In literature the experimental results obtained by Damasceno (2004) do not take into account the temperature measurements of the sidewalls and the floor below the bed and storage temperatures within and outside the shed. These failures compromise the claim to validate the mathematical model of Souza (2015) and therefore new measurements were obtained with room temperatures controlled, order to validate the mathematical model of a cooling bed heat treatment of steel mill Vallourec Tubes, located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Effect of a multistrain probiotic (Lactoflorene® Plus) on inflammatory parameters and microbiota composition in subjects with stress-related symptoms

Stress affects the immune system and intestinal microbiota composition and can lead to imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines or to uncontrolled production of cytokines. The effect of emotional stress on secretory IgA levels also indicates that stress decreases mucosal integrity. Our aim was to evaluate whether a probiotic product (Lactoflorene® Plus) can prevent alterations in the immune response associated with self-reported stress and microbiota composition. Healthy adult volunteers who self-reported psychological stress were enrolled and randomised into a placebo and a probiotic group. Salivary stress markers (α-amylase, cortisol, chromogranin A) and immunological parameters (sIgA, NK cell activity, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α) in feces and the composition of intestinal microbiota were evaluated. Administration of the product did not exert a direct effect on the salivary stress markers or NK cell activity but did reduce abdominal pain and increase faecal IgA and IL-10 levels. The probiotic product induced a moderate increase in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp., as expected, and in Faecalibacterium spp., and decreased the size of the Dialister spp. and Escherichia and Shigella populations. Administration of the product helped protect the mucosal barrier by supporting the number of short-chain fatty acid producers and decreasing the load of potentially harmful bacteria, thus reducing intestinal inflammation and abdominal discomfort. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03234452

Weight management interventions in adults with intellectual disabilities and obesity: a systematic review of the evidence

o evaluate the clinical effectiveness of weight management interventions in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) and obesity using recommendations from current clinical guidelines for the first line management of obesity in adults. Full papers on lifestyle modification interventions published between 1982 to 2011 were sought by searching the Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases. Studies were evaluated based on 1) intervention components, 2) methodology, 3) attrition rate 4) reported weight loss and 5) duration of follow up. Twenty two studies met the inclusion criteria. The interventions were classified according to inclusion of the following components: behaviour change alone, behaviour change plus physical activity, dietary advice or physical activity alone, dietary plus physical activity advice and multi-component (all three components). The majority of the studies had the same methodological limitations: no sample size justification, small heterogeneous samples, no information on randomisation methodologies. Eight studies were classified as multi-component interventions, of which one study used a 600 kilocalorie (2510 kilojoule) daily energy deficit diet. Study durations were mostly below the duration recommended in clinical guidelines and varied widely. No study included an exercise program promoting 225–300 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity per week but the majority of the studies used the same behaviour change techniques. Three studies reported clinically significant weight loss (≥ 5%) at six months post intervention. Current data indicate weight management interventions in those with ID differ from recommended practice and further studies to examine the effectiveness of multi-component weight management interventions for adults with ID and obesity are justified

Comprehensive Genetic Characterization of Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uniporter Components Reveals Their Different Physiological Requirements In Vivo.

Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake is an important mediator of metabolism and cell death. Identification of components of the highly conserved mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter has opened it up to genetic analysis in model organisms. Here, we report a comprehensive genetic characterization of all known uniporter components conserved in Drosophila. While loss of pore-forming MCU or EMRE abolishes fast mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, this results in only mild phenotypes when young, despite shortened lifespans. In contrast, loss of the MICU1 gatekeeper is developmentally lethal, consistent with unregulated Ca2+ uptake. Mutants for the neuronally restricted regulator MICU3 are viable with mild neurological impairment. Genetic interaction analyses reveal that MICU1 and MICU3 are not functionally interchangeable. More surprisingly, loss of MCU or EMRE does not suppress MICU1 mutant lethality, suggesting that this results from uniporter-independent functions. Our data reveal the interplay among components of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter and shed light on their physiological requirements in vivo.This work is supported by MRC core funding (MC_UU_00015/4, MC-A070-5PSB0, and MC_UU_00015/6) and an ERC starting grant (DYNAMITO; 309742) to A.J.W., as well as by the Italian Ministry of Health “Ricerca Finalizzata” (GR-2011-02351151) to E.Z. T.P.G. and J.J.L. are supported by MRC studentships awarded via the MRC MBU. V.L.H. was funded by an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF 740-2015) co-funded by the European Commission FP7 (Marie Curie Actions, LTFCOFUND2013, GA-2013-609409)

Agregação e distribuição do carbono nos agregados de Latossolo Vermelho sob diferentes níveis de palhada da cana-de-açúcar em Paranavaí (PR).

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o impacto da aplicação de diferentes níveis de palhada da cana-de-açúcar sobre a agregação e distribuição de carbono orgânico (C) em classes de agregados de um Latossolo Vermelho, sob colheita mecânica em Paranavaí (PR). Para esse estudo, em novembro de 2014, após a colheita mecanizada de cana-planta (primeira colheita após o plantio), variedade RB-867515, foram aplicados sobre o solo as seguintes quantidades de palha: 0, 3,65, 7,55 e 14,85 Mg ha-1 que corresponderam, respectivamente, à manutenção em campo de 0, 25, 50 e 100% da palha. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos casualizados, com 4 repetições. Aproximadamente um ano após a aplicação dos níveis de palha sobre o solo, amostras de solo foram coletadas na camada de 0-10 cm. Nessas amostras avaliou-se o diâmetro médio ponderado (DMP) dos agregados, a distribuição dos agregados nas classes de diâmetros 4-2, 2-1, 1-0,5, 0,5-0,25, e 0,25-0,105 e < 0,105 mm, por via seca, e o teor de C nessas classes com exceção da classe < 0,105 mm.Na distribuição dos agregados houve predominância da classe de agregados 0,25-0,105 mm, possivelmente devido a quantidade de areia fina (290 g kg-1) presente nesse diâmetro de peneira, contudo dentro dessa classe não verificou-se efeito significativo dos níveis de palha. As maiores deposições de palha sobre o solo (50 e 100 %) aumentaram a percentagem dos agregados na classe 4-2 mm (25,7 e 32,0 %, respectivamente) em relação aos tratamentos 0 e 25% (13,5 e 22,7 %, respectivamente), apresentando comportamento quadrático significativo. Esse mesmo efeito foi observado para os valores de DMP, com maiores valores nos tratamentos com 50 e 100% (1,65 e 1,60 mm, respectivamente) em relação aos tratamentos com 25 e 0% de palha (1,32 e 1,01 mm, respectivamente). Dentro de cada nível de palha, os teores de C nas classes de agregados apresentaram diferenças significativas entre si, com exceção do tratamento com 100% de palha, onde de maneira geral os valores foram maiores nas classes com diâmetro de 4-2 e 2-1 mm (12,5 e 12,4 g kg-1, respectivamente) e menores na classe 0,25- 0,105 mm (6,6 g kg-1). Assim, as principais conclusões foram, que a aplicação de 50 e 100% (7,55 e 14,85 Mg ha-1 ano-1) aumenta a agregação do solo, e que a aplicação de 50 % de palha sobre o solo também aumenta os agregados de maiores diâmetros (4-2 e 2-1 mm), os quais estão associados aos teores mais elevados de carbono orgânico do solo (14,4 e 13,2 g Kg-1, respectivamente), sendo o nível de palha mais adequado para se manter sobre a superfície do solo visando a manutenção da estrutura do solo

Healthcare practitioners' views and experiences of barriers and facilitators to weight management interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities

Background Obesity is common in adults with intellectual disabilities, yet little is known about how weight management interventions are provided for this population. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were held with 14 healthcare practitioners involved in weight management interventions in an English county. A study topic guide was developed to elicit practitioners' views and experiences of barriers and facilitators to weight management for adults with intellectual disabilities. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Several barriers are involved in weight management for people with intellectual disabilities including communication challenges, general practitioners' lack of knowledge and awareness of weight management services, inconsistencies in caring support, resource constraints, wider external circumstances surrounding the individuals and motivational issues. Facilitators include reasonable adjustments to existing weight management services. However, there is a need for specialist weight management provision for people with intellectual disabilities. Conclusions This study provides suggestions for future research, policy and practice consideration

Experimental and thermodynamic analysis of a bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) of gasoline engine using swash-plate expander

This paper deals with the experimental testing of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) integrate in a 2 liter turbocharged gasoline engine using ethanol as working fluid. The main components of the cycle are a boiler, a condenser, a pump and a swash-plate expander. Five engine operating points have been tested, they correspond to a nominal heat input into the boiler of 5, 12, 20, 25 and 30 kW. With the available bill of material based on prototypes, power balances and cycles efficiencies were estimated, obtaining a maximum improvement in the ICE mechanical power and an expander shaft power of 3.7% and 1.83 kW respectively. A total of 28 steady-state operating points were measured to evaluate performance of the swash-plate expander prototype. Operating parameters of the expander, such as expander speed and expansion ratio, were shifted. The objective of the tests is to master the system and understand physical parameters influence. The importance of each parameter was analyzed by fixing all the parameters, changing each time one specific value. In these sensitivity studies, maximum ideal and real Rankine efficiency value of 19% and 6% were obtained respectively.This work is part of a research project called "Evaluation of bottoming cycles in IC engines to recover waste heat energies" funded by a National Project of the Spanish Government with reference TRA2013-46408-R.Galindo, J.; Ruiz Rosales, S.; Dolz Ruiz, V.; Royo Pascual, L.; Haller, R.; Nicolas, B.; Glavatskaya, Y. (2015). Experimental and thermodynamic analysis of a bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) of gasoline engine using swash-plate expander. Energy Conversion and Management. 103:519-532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2015.06.085S51953210