WinGEMS modelling and pinch analysis of a paper machine for utility reduction

A multi-ply paper machine process model was developed using WinGEMS and the stream data produced was used to conduct a pinch analysis. The product stream was excluded from the analysis and the composite curves display the enthalpy contained only in the inputs and outputs to the various sections of the paper machine. The pinch point for the overall paper machine was 55.9 C while the minimum hot utility target was 170 MW. Occurrences of cross pinch heat transfer were identified and discussed. Heat recovery options for heating of the fresh water showers, using waste heat streams were investigated. Steam savings of over 14 MW could be achieved by recovering heat from two waste streams that currently go directly to drain with no heat recovery taking place. The use of pinch analysis for utilities targeting under non-continuous conditions was examined. Finally, the feasibility of integrating non-conventional technologies, such as heat storage, is discussed

Determinants of Feedlot Cattle Death Loss Rates

Death loss in feedlot cattle can have significant impacts on feedlot profitability. Not only does death loss result in foregone revenue, but the operation still incurs the costs to date associated with those animals. This study uses pen-level feedlot data from a private feed-lot in the Southern Great Plains. Both company- owned and customer retained ownership cattle are included in the data set. A Tobit model is used to analyze pen characteristics’ influence on death loss in feedlot cattle, including cattle characteristics, source characteristics, management characteristics, and treatment incidence. Results imply that several pen characteristics impact death loss and that cattle source, in terms of both cattle source geographic location and market source type, has a significant influence on death loss rate

Determining significant parameters on health and well-being of building occupants towards re-engineered inclusive environment

People spend over 90% of their time in the buildings. A building is a place where people are spending more time doing activities, thus an inclusive environment of the buildings is very important to ensure that people are having a healthy life. An inclusive environment is important for the well-being of building occupants. Indoor environmental quality is one of the essential elements in creating an inclusive environment in which a poor quality of indoor environment affects the health of the occupants both physically and mentally, their performance, productivity, comfort, satisfaction, and well-being. Even though people are towards creating an inclusive environment but it is a limited study on the parameters of the inclusive environment. Thus, this paper is to study the parameters of the inclusive environment by focused on the element of the indoor environmental quality for building occupants based on literature reviews of articles between the year 2006 and 2016. Based on the content analysis, it has been discovered that there are various parameters of an inclusive environment which are visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality, buildings factors, occupants’ factors, and climate condition factors. The parameters can be very useful as guidelines and development of policy in providing inclusive environment for the healthy lifestyle of building occupants

Determining significant parameters on health and well-being of building occupants towards re-engineered inclusive environment

People spend over 90% of their time in the buildings. A building is a place where people are spending more time doing activities, thus an inclusive environment of the buildings is very important to ensure that people are having a healthy life. An inclusive environment is important for the well-being of building occupants. Indoor environmental quality is one of the essential elements in creating an inclusive environment in which a poor quality of indoor environment affects the health of the occupants both physically and mentally, their performance, productivity, comfort, satisfaction, and well-being. Even though people are towards creating an inclusive environment but it is a limited study on the parameters of the inclusive environment. Thus, this paper is to study the parameters of the inclusive environment by focused on the element of the indoor environmental quality for building occupants based on literature reviews of articles between the year 2006 and 2016. Based on the content analysis, it has been discovered that there are various parameters of an inclusive environment which are visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality, buildings factors, occupants’ factors, and climate condition factors. The parameters can be very useful as guidelines and development of policy in providing inclusive environment for the healthy lifestyle of building occupants

Towards understanding the myometrial physiome: approaches for the construction of a virtual physiological uterus

Premature labour (PTL) is the single most significant factor contributing to neonatal morbidity in Europe with enormous attendant healthcare and social costs. Consequently, it remains a major challenge to alleviate the cause and impact of this condition. Our ability to improve the diagnosis and treatment of women most at risk of PTL is, however, actually hampered by an incomplete understanding of the ways in which the functions of the uterine myocyte are integrated to effect an appropriate biological response at the multicellular whole organ system. The level of organization required to co-ordinate labouring uterine contractile effort in time and space can be considered immense. There is a multitude of what might be considered mini-systems involved, each with their own regulatory feedback cycles, yet they each, in turn, will influence the behaviour of a related system. These include, but are not exclusive to, gestational-dependent regulation of transcription, translation, post-translational modifications, intracellular signaling dynamics, cell morphology, intercellular communication and tissue level morphology. We propose that in order to comprehend how these mini-systems integrate to facilitate uterine contraction during labour (preterm or term) we must, in concert with biological experimentation, construct detailed mathematical descriptions of our findings. This serves three purposes: firstly, providing a quantitative description of series of complex observations; secondly, proferring a database platform that informs further testable experimentation; thirdly, advancing towards the establishment of a virtual physiological uterus and in silico clinical diagnosis and treatment of PTL

Potent and Broad Inhibition of HIV-1 by a Peptide from the gp41 Heptad Repeat-2 Domain Conjugated to the CXCR4 Amino Terminus.

HIV-1 entry can be inhibited by soluble peptides from the gp41 heptad repeat-2 (HR2) domain that interfere with formation of the 6-helix bundle during fusion. Inhibition has also been seen when these peptides are conjugated to anchoring molecules and over-expressed on the cell surface. We hypothesized that potent anti-HIV activity could be achieved if a 34 amino acid peptide from HR2 (C34) were brought to the site of virus-cell interactions by conjugation to the amino termini of HIV-1 coreceptors CCR5 or CXCR4. C34-conjugated coreceptors were expressed on the surface of T cell lines and primary CD4 T cells, retained the ability to mediate chemotaxis in response to cognate chemokines, and were highly resistant to HIV-1 utilization for entry. Notably, C34-conjugated CCR5 and CXCR4 each exhibited potent and broad inhibition of HIV-1 isolates from diverse clades irrespective of tropism (i.e., each could inhibit R5, X4 and dual-tropic isolates). This inhibition was highly specific and dependent on positioning of the peptide, as HIV-1 infection was poorly inhibited when C34 was conjugated to the amino terminus of CD4. C34-conjugated coreceptors could also inhibit HIV-1 isolates that were resistant to the soluble HR2 peptide inhibitor, enfuvirtide. When introduced into primary cells, CD4 T cells expressing C34-conjugated coreceptors exhibited physiologic responses to T cell activation while inhibiting diverse HIV-1 isolates, and cells containing C34-conjugated CXCR4 expanded during HIV-1 infection in vitro and in a humanized mouse model. Notably, the C34-conjugated peptide exerted greater HIV-1 inhibition when conjugated to CXCR4 than to CCR5. Thus, antiviral effects of HR2 peptides can be specifically directed to the site of viral entry where they provide potent and broad inhibition of HIV-1. This approach to engineer HIV-1 resistance in functional CD4 T cells may provide a novel cell-based therapeutic for controlling HIV infection in humans