Numerical investigation of multi-nozzle ejector device with inclined nozzles for marine gas turbine

The high-temperature exhaust gases and the hot surfaces of the ejector device in marine gas turbines generate significant levels of infrared radiation. An appropriate nozzle structure can effectively lower the exhaust gas temperature and reduce the high-temperature radiation surface area, thereby minimizing external infrared radiation. In this study, a numerical simulation of the nozzle structure in the ejector device was conducted using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods. By investigating the orthogonal combinations of nozzle inclination angles and the number of nozzles, the temperature distribution and flow characteristics under different operating conditions were analysed. The results showed that as the nozzle inclination angle increased, the entrainment coefficient (Ce) and the temperature ratio at the inlet and outlet (Rt) initially improved but then worsened. Simultaneously, the pressure loss coefficient (Cpl) increased with the inclination angle. The CRITIC weight method was employed to objectively allocate weights to Rt, Ce, and Cpl, determining the optimal solution. The results indicated that Rt and Cpl had significant and similar weights. The optimal solution was found in Case 10 (α = 5°, x = 4), with corresponding evaluation indices of Ce=2.38, Cpl=11.45, and =0.68. This study\u27s findings are of great importance for enhancing the performance of marine gas turbines and reducing external infrared radiation

The Time Course Effects of Electroacupuncture on Promoting Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Inhibiting Excessive Fibrosis after Contusion in Rabbits

The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on Zusanli (ST36) and Ashi acupoints in promoting skeletal muscle regeneration and inhibiting excessive fibrosis after contusion in rabbits. Sixty rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: normal, contusion, EA, and recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I (rhIGF-I). An acute skeletal muscle contusion was produced on the right gastrocnemius (GM) by an instrument-based drop-mass technique. EA was performed for 15 minutes every two days with 0.4 mA (2 Hz), and GM injections were executed with rhIGF-I (0.25 mL once a week). Rabbits treated with EA had a higher T-SOD and T-AOC serum activities and lower MDA serum level, the blood perfusion of which was also significantly higher. In the EA group, the diameter of the myofibril was uniform and the arrangement was regular, contrary to the contusion group. The number and diameter of regenerative myofibers and MHC expression were increased in the EA group. EA treatment significantly decreased fibrosis formation and reduced both GDF-8 and p-Smad2/3 expressions in injured muscle. Our data indicate that EA may promote myofiber regeneration and reduce excessive fibrosis by improving blood flow and antioxidant capacities. Additionally, EA may regulate signaling factor expression after contusion

Recent acquisition of imprinting at the rodent Sfmbt2 locus correlates with insertion of a large block of miRNAs.

BACKGROUND: The proximal region of murine Chr 2 has long been known to harbour one or more imprinted genes from classic genetic studies involving reciprocal translocations. No imprinted gene had been identified from this region until our study demonstrated that the PcG gene Sfmbt2 is expressed from the paternally inherited allele in early embryos and extraembryonic tissues. Imprinted genes generally reside in clusters near elements termed Imprinting Control Regions (ICRs), suggesting that Sfmbt2 might represent an anchor for a new imprinted domain. RESULTS: We analyzed allelic expression of approximately 20 genes within a 3.9 Mb domain and found that Sfmbt2 and an overlapping non-coding antisense transcript are the only imprinted genes in this region. These transcripts represent a very narrow imprinted gene locus. We also demonstrate that rat Sfmbt2 is imprinted in extraembryonic tissues. An interesting feature of both mouse and rat Sfmbt2 genes is the presence of a large block of miRNAs in intron 10. Other mammals, including the bovine, lack this block of miRNAs. Consistent with this association, we show that human and bovine Sfmbt2 are biallelic. Other evidence indicates that pig Sfmbt2 is also not imprinted. Further strengthening the argument for recent evolution of Sfmbt2 is our demonstration that a more distant muroid rodent, Peromyscus also lacks imprinting and the block of miRNAs. CONCLUSIONS: These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the block of miRNAs are driving imprinting at this locus. Our results are discussed in the context of ncRNAs at other imprinted loci. Accession numbers for Peromyscus cDNA and intron 10 genomic DNA are [Genbank:HQ416417 and Genbank:HQ416418], respectively.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

RTA-408 Protects Kidney from Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Mice via Activating Nrf2 and Downstream GSH Biosynthesis Gene

Acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by ischemia-reperfusion is a critical conundrum in many clinical settings. Here, this study aimed to determine whether and how RTA-408, a novel oleanane triterpenoid, could confer protection against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in male mice. Mice treated with RTA-408 undergoing unilateral ischemia followed by contralateral nephrectomy had improved renal function and histological outcome, as well as decreased apoptosis, ROS production, and oxidative injury marker compared with vehicle-treated mice. Also, we had found that RTA-408 could strengthen the total antioxidant capacity by increasing Nrf2 nuclear translocation and subsequently increased Nrf2 downstream GSH-related antioxidant gene expression and activity. In vitro study demonstrated that GSH biosynthesis enzyme GCLc could be an important target of RTA-408. Furthermore, Nrf2-deficient mice treated with RTA-408 had no significant improvement in renal function, histology, ROS production, and GSH-related gene expression. Thus, by upregulating Nrf2 and its downstream antioxidant genes, RTA-408 presents a novel and potential approach to renal IRI prevention and therapy

High Expression of Testes-Specific Protease 50 Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Colorectal Carcinoma

Testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50) is normally expressed in testes and abnormally expressed in breast cancer, but whether TSP50 is expressed in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and its clinical significance is unclear. We aimed to detect TSP50 expression in CRC, correlate it with clinicopathological factors, and assess its potential diagnostic and prognostic value. = 0.009).Our data demonstrate that TSP50 is a potential effective indicator of poor survival for CRC patients, especially for those with early-stage tumors

Propping by controlling shareholders, wealth transfer and firm performance: Evidence from Chinese listed companies

Propping acts by controlling shareholders are common in Chinese listed firms. In this paper, we use data on related-party transactions of all listed Chinese firms from 2002 to 2008 to investigate the motivation behind controlling shareholders’ propping acts and subsequent wealth-transfer behavior and how both affect firm performance. We find that such institutional motivators as the maintenance of shell resources and qualification for refinancing have a significant effect on the propping behavior of controlling shareholders of Chinese listed firms and that such behavior is often followed by more serious tunneling when shareholders are driven by these motivators. Compared with non-state-owned firms, state-owned firms with the motivation to qualify for refinancing exhibit more severe tunneling after engaging in propping behavior. We also find that while propping by controlling shareholders improves a firm’s current operating performance, in firms whose controlling shareholders’ are motivated by the desire to maintain shell resources or obtain a refinancing qualification their performance declines in the following year because of subsequent tunneling. The results presented in this paper provide us with a better understanding of the relationship between propping and tunneling, controlling shareholders’ engagement in both and the consequences of that behavior

Least Squares Reverse Time Migration of Ground Penetrating Radar Data Based on Modified Total Variation

As a fundamental part of ground penetrating radar (GPR) data processing, reverse time migration (RTM) can correctly position reflection waves and focusing diffraction waves on the proper spatial position. Least-squares reverse-time migration (LSRTM) is widely used in the seismic field for its ability to suppress artifacts and generate high-resolution images in comparison to conventional RTM. However, in the particular case of GPR detection methods, LSRTM is extremely susceptible to aliasing artifacts caused by under-sampling. In pursuit of enhanced precision in underground structure characterization, this paper presents the development of a new LSRTM based on modified total variation (MTV) regularization to improve imaging resolution. Initially, the objective function of LSRTM is derived by combining the Born approximation in 2-D transversal magnetic mode. Next, the adjoint equations and their gradients are solved using the Lagrange multiplier method. The objective function is then constrained by MTV regularization to ensure the precision and convergence of the LSRTM, which delivers a refined edge with reconstruction details. In the numerical experiments, in comparison to the conventional LSRTM method, the LSRTM-MTV algorithm demonstrated a 30.4% increase in computational speed and a 21.1% reduction in mean squared error (MSE). The outperformance of the proposed method is verified in detail through the image resolution and amplitude preservation in the test of synthetic data and laboratory data. Future research efforts will center on applying the proposed method to models featuring dispersive or anisotropic media that closely mimic real-world conditions and extending the application to various imaging techniques involving objective function minimization

Three new species of non-marine ostracods (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from small water bodies of northern China

Three new species, Pseudocandona cheni sp. nov., Cyclocypris pangi sp. nov., and Tonnacypris rectangularis sp. nov., collected from northern China, are described in this study. Pseudocandona cheni, of the compressa group, is difficult to be distinguished from other members of the same group by carapace morphology alone, but can be readily recognised by the structure of the hemipenis comprised of a long lobe a, distally inflated lobe h, and exteriorly pointed lobe b, as well as thick trunks of the male fifth limb endopodites. Cyclocypris pangi, despite its similarity in carapace morphology to its congeners, can be identified based on the morphology of the hemipenis, which bears a slender, slightly curved lobe h, and an S-shaped process accompanying lobe b, in addition to the rectangular trunk of the male fifth limb endopodite. On the other hand, Tonnacypris rectangularis, described on the basis of females only, can be distinguished from other Tonnacypris Diebel & Pietrzeniuk, 1975 representatives by its distinct sub-rectangular carapace alone. Other differences include the length of the swimming setae, the length of the distal claws on the second antennae, and the morphology of the pincer organ on the seventh limb. This study contributes to the poorly known extant non-marine ostracod fauna of Inner Mongolia and Beijing, and generally to the central-eastern Palaearctic region. In addition, the known distribution range of Tonnacypris is extended eastwardly by T. rectangularis. The valve-morphology data are useful for identifying fossil/sub-fossil representatives

A Novel Method of Natural Orifice Specimen Extraction Surgery (NOSES) during Laparoscopic Anterior Resection for Rectal Cancer

We propose a modification to the reconstruction method of natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) during laparoscopic anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer (RC) and evaluated its feasibility and short-term safety by comparing surgical and postoperative outcomes with those of conventional LAR. Twenty patients with RC underwent “double-purse” NOSES-LAR from October 2017 to June 2018. Data of clinicopathological characteristics, surgical and postoperative outcomes, and follow-up findings in NOSES-LAR cases were collected and retrospectively compared with those of conventional LAR to clarify the clinical benefits. The median postoperative hospital stay was lower in the double-purse NOSES group than the conventional group (6.6 vs. 7.1 days, respectively). In the conventional group, anastomotic leakage and incision site infection occurred in one patient each. In contrast, there were no complications in the double-purse group. There were no significant differences in blood loss, surgical duration, and time of the first flatus between the two groups. Additionally, “double-purse” NOSES-LAR was more economical than the conventional LAR. “Double-purse” NOSES-LAR is a safe, feasible, and minimally invasive promising procedure for LAR of RC with faster recovery, while requiring less surgical skills and lower clinical costs