Trans-ancestry genome-wide association study identifies 12 genetic loci influencing blood pressure and implicates a role for DNA methylation

We carried out a trans-ancestry genome-wide association and replication study of blood pressure phenotypes among up to 320,251 individuals of East Asian, European and South Asian ancestry. We find genetic variants at 12 new loci to be associated with blood pressure (P = 3.9 × 10-11 to 5.0 × 10-21). The sentinel blood pressure SNPs are enriched for association with DNA methylation at multiple nearby CpG sites, suggesting that, at some of the loci identified, DNA methylation may lie on the regulatory pathway linking sequence variation to blood pressure. The sentinel SNPs at the 12 new loci point to genes involved in vascular smooth muscle (IGFBP3, KCNK3, PDE3A and PRDM6) and renal (ARHGAP24, OSR1, SLC22A7 and TBX2) function. The new and known genetic variants predict increased left ventricular mass, circulating levels of NT-proBNP, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (P = 0.04 to 8.6 × 10-6). Our results provide new evidence for the role of DNA methylation in blood pressure regulation

Experimental and numerical studies on the spray cooling of deionized water in non-boiling regime

High-efficiency spray cooling technology has received increase of interest for high heatflux applications. Experimental and numerical investigations on spray heat transfer in single-phase deionized water are reported in this paper. The 3D numerical model is established based on Discrete Phase Model and Lagrange Wall Film model, comprehensively considering the exchange of mass, momentum and energy between the air (continuous phase) and water droplets (discrete phase), and the heat transfer in liquid film at the heated surface. PDA is adopted to measure Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of near-wall droplets. The influences of mass flow rates, nozzle diameters and spray heights on spray heat transfer characteristics are discussed. Results indicate that increasing mass flow rate can reduce SMD due to high We number and improve heat transfer coefficient. Liquid-film thickness is high at either low or high mass flow rate, but has minor influence on cooling performance. The optimal nozzle diameter is 0.6 mm rather than the smaller or higher diameter because the spray area is similar to the heated area. Similar reason is for the optimal spray height of 20 mm

Design and performance of a mechanically pumped two-phase loop to support the evaporation-condensation experiments on the TZ1

The mechanically pumped two-phase loop (MPTL) has the advantages of long distance heat transport, high heat density and good temperature control. On TZ1, the MPTL technology is adopted to support a series experiments of evaporation and condensation. The main objective is to provide accurate (±0.5 ℃) temperature control from −5 ℃ to 40 ℃ and remove 80 W heat from the experimental setup. In this paper, the requirements, system design, hardware and performance of the MPTL are introduced