Preliminary Design and Numerical Analysis of a Scrap Tires Pyrolysis System

Abstract A plant prototype for whole scrap tires disposal and the consequent syngas production via pyrolysis has been developed. A numerical analysis on the innovative pyrolysis reactor, constituted by an autoclave closing device and an explosion-proof water system has been carried out. The aim of this analysis is to investigate the fluid-dynamics in the pyrolysis chamber and model the syngas production. The simulations, performed in the pre-realization system phase, have allowed to determine: i) the flow field of the fluid within the reactor, so as to optimize the geometry (e.g. size, vacuum system, water tank); ii) the temperature range, in order to determine the correct placement of thermocouples within reactor and prevent overheating that could compromise the safety of the system; iii) the pressure range, necessary to avoid the eventual flooding of the tires themselves. Thanks to these results, the test bench has been built at the CURTI S.p.A laboratory and experimental analysis has been performed. The experimental data are acquired and then elaborated, as shown in the paper

Eastward Surface Jets in the Central Equatorial Pacific, November 1991- March 1992

The central equatorial Pacific typically has westward surface and near-surface flow, interrupted by periods of eastward flow. The processes that may have been responsible for two periods of eastward flow during the 1991-92 El Niño between October 1991 and March 1992 are explored here, based on realistic hindcasts from a high-vertical resolution ocean general circulation model. The model balances indicate that the November-December 1991 surface trapped jet is fully nonlinear, and both wind stress and horizontal pressure gradient forcing are significant. The January-February 1992 jet is less strongly nonlinear. Both jets are strongly affected by local and remote westerly wind event forcing. Linear dynamics are not consistent with the model balances. We note that the mid-November to early December 1991 jet plausibly created the vertical salinity gradient that was observed in late December 1991. Although this salinity gradient can contribute to the maintenance of a vertically sheared eastward flow, it does not appear to have been fundamental in the creation of the two jets observed during this period. Accurate sampling of this region during periods of high variability requires frequent measurements. Local dynamics arrays with high vertical resolution current profiles, from the surface to beneath the Equatorial Undercurrent, are critical to the advancement of our understanding of equatorial dynamics, to evaluating the skill of our numerical models, and to accurate simulation and state estimation for this fascinating area of the ocean

Insulin sensitivity assessment in uncomplicated obese women: comparison of indices from fasting and oral glucose load with euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp

Background and Aim: Obesity is associated with a great variability to insulin sensitivity degree. Several formulae developed from measurements in the fasting state and during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) have been proposed to assess insulin sensitivity. Aim: In this work we sought to compare the published insulin sensitivity indices with the metabolized glucose index obtained by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp in uncomplicated obese subjects. Uncomplicated obesity provides a good model in order to study insulin sensitivity per se. Methods and Results: In this protocol, 65 obese women affected by uncomplicated obesity (without impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia) underwent 2 h OGTT and euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. Common formulae obtained in the fasting state and from a 2h OGTT were calculated. Simple linear regression analysis showed that ISI (r = 0.592, p = 0.01), 2 h OGIS (r = 0.576, P = 0.02), MCRest (r = 0.507, p = 0.02), 120 insulin (r = -0.494, p = 0.03) and fasting insulin (r = -0.382, p = 0.02) are significantly correlated to the M index obtained from the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. The Bland-Altman plot confirmed the good agreement between indices from OGTT and the clamp. Conclusion: OGTT-derived indices provide a good assessment of insulin sensitivity in obesity. OGTT could easily be applied in a large number of obese patients in order to obtain information on both glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. (C) 2004, Medikal Press

Echocardiographic Epicardial Adipose Tissue Is Related to Anthropometric and Clinical Parameters of Metabolic Syndrome: A New Indicator of Cardiovascular Risk

Metabolic syndrome is related to multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) plays a key role in metabolic syndrome. Easy detection of VAT could be an important tool to increase knowledge of metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study was to study the relationship of echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue to anthropometric and clinical parameters of metabolic syndrome. We selected 72 consecutive subjects, 46.5 ± 17.4 yr of age, with a body mass index between 22 and 47 kg/m 2. Each subject underwent transthoracic echocardiogram to measure epicardial fat thickness on right ventricle and magnetic resonance imaging to calculate visceral adipose tissue. Anthropometric, metabolic, and cardiac parameters were also evaluated. Echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue showed a very good correlation with magnetic resonance imaging abdominal VAT and epicardial fat measurement (Bland-Altman plot and linear regression). Multiple regression analysis showed that waist circumference (r2 = 0.428; P = 0.01), diastolic blood pressure (r2 = 0.387; P = 0.02), and fasting insulin (r2 = 0.387; P = 0.03) were the strongest independent variables correlated with epicardial adipose tissue. Echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue could be applied as an easy and reliable imaging indicator of VAT and cardiovascular risk

Generalized Splitting 2D Flexible Activation Function

Abstract. It is well known that in problems where both amplitude and phase recovery is essential- like in signal processing for communications, or in problems of nonlinear signal distortions, like control, signal processing and imaging applications- it is important to consider the complex nature (and thus the intimate relation between real and imaginary part) of the data. One of the main problem to design complex neural networks (CpxNN) consists in the definition of the complex Activation Functions (AF): to ensure the universal approximation network capabilities, the AFs should be bounded and differentiable. In the complex domain these characteristics are in contrast with Louiville’s theorem, which asserts that the only bounded and differentiable (analytic) function is the constant function. In this paper we investigate the use of 2D spline to define a new class of flexible activation functions, which are bounded and (locally) analytic suitable to define a new class of complex domain neural networks (CpxNN).

Autoantibody negative new onset type 1 diabetic patients lacking high risk HLA alleles in a caucasian population: are these type 1b diabetes cases?

BACKGROUND: In Caucasians, a small number of Type 1 diabetic patients do not show evidence of humoral islet autoimmunity at disease onset, at least with common screening procedures. In African- and Hispanic-American diabetic children at time of diagnosis, many show no evidence of autoimmunity but have an atypical clinical form of the disease. According to the recent American Diabetes Association classification, this subgroup of autoantibody negative patients is referred to as Type 1b diabetic subjects. In the present study, a homogeneous Caucasian Type 1 diabetic clinic-based cohort has been evaluated at diagnosis using a large panel of diabetes-related antibodies and then characterized for various genetic features in order to identify newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetics who are potentially autoantibody negative, i.e. possibly referrable to as idiopathic Type 1b diabetes. METHODS: Newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetic patients of Italian origin (n=141, mean age 12.0+/-7.6 years) were tested for anti-islet cell, anti-insulin, anti-65 kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase and anti-amino acid residues 256-979 of the tyrosine-phosphatase IA-2 molecule autoantibodies (Step 1). Only those patients found to be autoantibody negative were tested for anti-disialo-ganglioside GD3, anti-thyroid peroxidase, anti-thyroglobulin, anti-21-OH hydroxylase, anti-gastric parietal cell and anti-transglutaminase antibodies (Step 2). Sera negative for the presence of these six autoantibodies as well were characterized in terms of HLA DRB1, DQB1 and CTLA-4. RESULTS: Six out of 141 subjects (3.5%) were autoantibody negative in the first step of the study and five out of six in the second. These five autoantibody negative patients underwent genetic analysis. Three of them had at least one Type 1 diabetes-related high risk HLA haplotype (3/141, 2.1%) while the remaining two cases showed neutral (DR5-DQB1*0301/DR5-DQB1*0301) or strongly protective (DR2-DQB1*0602/DR2-DQB1*0602) HLA genotypes, respectively (2/141, 1. 4%). CONCLUSIONS: Clinically defined Type 1 diabetic patients with no sign of autoimmunity do exist in a Caucasian population. These patients (2 out of 141) that cannot be classified as Type 1a diabetic patients lack clinical characteristics of Type 1b diabetes and have to be reconsidered for a more appropriate ADA classification. These data suggest the need of further large population-based studies to understand if Type 1b diabetes really occurs in a Caucasian population. The patient with a strongly protective HLA genotype is particularly interesting considering that among Caucasians only a few sporadic cases with Type 1 diabetes and DQB1*0602, have been reported, none of whom was homozygous at DQB1 locus

ASPECTS OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION ON THE RESULTS OF BARIATRIC SURGERY.

Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Vitoria, ES, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, EPM, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, EPM, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc