Construction of a Static Model for Power Generation of OTEC Plant Using Uehara Cycle Based on Experimental Data

This paper considers the construction of a static model for the power generation of an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plant using Uehara cycle. The model is constructed based on experimental data obtained from an actual experimental OTEC plant. In this paper, two kinds of static models are proposed. In both models, the relations among significant quantities are represented by polynomials. The polynomials are determined via least squares for experimental data, and the orders of polynomial which minimize the integral of absolute error between experimental data and simulation results of power generation are adopted. The usefulness and limitations of the proposed models are evaluated by simulation results

Albumin-fused thioredoxin ameliorates high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

The pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) involves the simultaneous interaction of multiple factors such as lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response. Here, the effect of human serum albumin (HSA) fused to thioredoxin (Trx) on NASH was investigated. Trx is known to have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects. However, Trx is a low molecular weight protein and is rapidly eliminated from the blood. To overcome the low availability of Trx, HSA-Trx fusion protein was produced and evaluated the therapeutic effect on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NASH model mice. HSA-Trx administered before the formation of NASH pathology showed it to have a preventive effect. Specifically, HSA-Trx was found to prevent the pathological progression to NASH by suppressing lipid accumulation, liver injury markers, and liver fibrosis. When HSA-Trx was administered during the early stage of NASH there was a marked reduction in lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver, indicating that HSA-Trx ameliorates NASH pathology. The findings indicate that HSA-Trx influences multiple pathological factors, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, to elicit a therapeutic benefit. HSA-Trx also inhibited palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells. Taken together, these results indicate that HSA-Trx has potential as a therapeutic agent for NASH pathology

Magnetic Properties of Hagi Ware

Hagi ware originally consists of a mixture of two raw materials: Daido clay and Mishima clay. During its firing process, we observed a change in the magnetic properties of the iron oxide, Fe2O3. The magnetic moment of the Daido clay (which only contains a small amount of the Fe2O3 γ-phase) attains a maximum at a firing temperature of approximately 600°C, where a minor amount of the poorly crystallized Fe2O3 temporarily changes to the ferromagnetic γ-phase. Furthermore, the magnetic moment of the Mishima clay (which contains a large amount of the Fe2O3 γ-phase) decreases as the firing temperature increases, whereas the coercive field rapidly increases at firing temperatures above 1000°C. The magnetization curve of the Mishima clay that was fired at temperatures above 1200°C is characteristic of a two-component system consisting of a minor γ-phase and a major α-phase. The above-mentioned phenomena were also confirmed by XRD analyses. A series of experiments indicated that the firing of Hagi ware can be characterized as a transformation from the γ-phase of Fe2O3 to the α-phase of Fe2O3. This transformation is considered to contribute to the change from soft magnetism to hard magnetism of Hagi ware

Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation and History of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Insights from GARFIELD-AF

BACKGROUND: Many patients with atrial fibrillation have concomitant coronary artery disease with or without acute coronary syndromes and are in need of additional antithrombotic therapy. There are few data on the long-term clinical outcome of atrial fibrillation patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome. This is a 2-year study of atrial fibrillation patients with or without a history of acute coronary syndromes