Modified T-F Function Method for Finding Global Minimizer on Unconstrained Optimization

This paper indicates that the filled function which appeared in one of the papers by Y. L. Shang et al. (2007) is also a tunneling function; that is, we prove that under some general assumptions this function has the characters of both tunneling function and filled function. A solution algorithm based on this T-F function is given and numerical tests from test functions show that our T-F function method is very effective in finding better minima

Experimental Research and Theoretical Analysis on Throttling Characteristics of Electronic Expansion Valve in Series with Capillary Tube

The mass flow rate of R-32 and volumetric flow rate of dry air in an electronic expansion valves(EEV) , in two different capillary tubes(CT) and in one expansion valve in series with two different capillary tubes were tested, and the theoretical volumetric flow rate of dry air in one EEV in series with different CTs were predicted through a theoretical throttling model built in this paper. The results showed that the mass flow rate of R-32 or volumetric flow rate of dry air of the serial throttling component was lower than but close to that of the EEV in low openings and that of the CT in full opening, respectively, under the same operating conditions. The flow rate ratio of the serial throttling component to the EEV decreased fast with opening increasing, and the flow rate ratio of the refrigerant was obviously lower than that of the dry air. The refrigerant mass flow rate of EEV in series with CT up flow was higher than that of the same EEV in series with the same CT down flow

Effect of sodium butyrate on glucose and lipid metabolism, insulin expression and apoptosis of β-cells in obese pregnant rats

Purpose: To study the influence of sodium butyrate on the metabolism of lipid and glucose, insulin expression and apoptosis of β-cells in obese pregnant rats. Methods: Three groups of one hundred and twenty 4-week-old female C5BL/6J mice were used: control, high-fat diet and sodium butyrate groups. Insulin, triglycerides and total cholesterol were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Insulin levels, as well as area and quality of islet β-cells were assessed using Image Pro Plus software. The number of DAPI-positive islet cells, positive expression of bcl-2 in each islet cell, and apoptosis of islet β-cells in each group were determined. Results: The expression levels of insulin in high-fat diet group and butyrate group were significantly reduced, relative to control, but insulin expression level in Na butyrate group increased, relative to high- fat diet mice (p < 0.01). The area and quality of islet β-cells in high-fat diet and sodium butyrate groups were markedly higher in sodium butyrate group than in high-fat diet group (p < 0.01). The bcl-2 expression in islet β-cells rose in mice given high-fat diet, relative to control and sodium butyrate groups (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Sodium butyrate facilitates glucose and lipid metabolism, but increases insulin expression, and effectively inhibits apoptosis of islet β-cells in obese pregnant mice. Thus, sodium butyrate may be useful in the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders due to diabetes mellitus (DM)

Dynamic Investigation of Thermal Behavior in a Hot Water Storage Tank

Air Source Heat Pump Water Heater is an environmental –friendly technology with high efficiency. The thermal behavior of water in the storage tank has great importance for designing a more energy-saving control strategy. In this study, the time-dependent temperature distributions during typical transient processes including heating up and tapping processes are studied with a 3D CFD model of the water storage tank in a cyclic heat pump water heater. The simulated temperature profiles in the heating up period were in good agreement with the experimental results. Different initial conditions were tested in the heating up periods, and they had little influence on the final temperature profiles in a practical water tank. The influences of varied flow rates and supply water temperatures were studied in the tapping stages. The thermocline was shortened when the temperatures in the bottom were higher and the flow rates were larger. Finally, the possibility to calculate the flow rates from the temperature changes was discussed

Experimental Investigation on R245fa Throttling Devices under High Temperature

The experiments on mass flow rate characteristics of R245fa refrigerant flowing through throttling devices including seven capillary tubes and the electronic expansion valve were carried out under the high-temperature working conditions. By combining data analysis with flow correlations, the design basis that is applicable to R245fa throttling devices can be obtained. By comparing the experimental mass flow rate with that predicted by Jung Correlation and Kim Correlation, it can be concluded that root mean square deviations of two correlations are 3.2 % and 3.3%, respectively. The root mean square deviation for electronic expansion valve is 4.5%. The conclusions offer high-accuracy design basis for throttling devices selection of high-temperature heat pump systems using R245fa as refrigerant

Finding Global Minima with a Filled Function Approach for Non-Smooth Global Optimization

A filled function approach is proposed for solving a non-smooth unconstrained global optimization problem. First, the definition of filled function in Zhang (2009) for smooth global optimization is extended to non-smooth case and a new one is put forwarded. Then, a novel filled function is proposed for non-smooth the global optimization and a corresponding non-smooth algorithm based on the filled function is designed. At last, a numerical test is made. The computational results demonstrate that the proposed approach is effcient and reliable

Effect of Pomegranate Juice on Dextran Sulfate Sodium Salt-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with unclear pathogenesis and is difficult to cure. The incidence rate is increasing year by year, and there is high drug dependence for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, which leads to obvious the treatment resistance to s side effects. Therefore, seeking natural health products for nutritional therapy has become an attention focus of attention. In this articlestudy, dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS) was used to establish a mouse model of ulcerative colitis. The mice were intervened with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) (130 mg/(kg mb∙d)) or pomegranate juice (30% and 100%, 10 mL/d). Body mass, disease activity index (DAI) and colon length were measured, liver and kidney function and oxidative stress were measured by biochemical kits, the levels of inflammatory factors were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), colon tissue sections were observed, and the contents of fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Finally, a comprehensive evaluation of the effect and mechanism of pomegranate juice against ulcerative colitis in mice was exploredperformed. Compared with the DSS group, body mass and colon length in the pomegranate juice intervention group was increased, DAI was decreased, liver and kidney functions were improved, and could the expression of proinflammatory factors was significantly decreased (P < 0.01). In addition, anti-inflammatory factor expression was significantly enhanced (P < 0.01), reduce the level of oxidative stress and the activity of inflammatory marker myeloperoxidase (MPO) were significantly reduced (P < 0.01), the level of up-regulate fecal SCFAs was up-regulated, andimprove the colonic epithelial structure was improved. Pomegranate juice can attenuate intestinal mucosal damage and liver and kidney dysfunction, and has a good therapeutic effect on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice

Accuracy of triage strategies for human papillomavirus DNA-positive women in low-resource settings: A cross-sectional study in China

CareHPV is a human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA test for low-resource settings (LRS). This study assesses optimum triage strategies for careHPV-positive women in LRS

Evaluation of a novel saliva-based epidermal growth factor receptor mutation detection for lung cancer: A pilot study.

BackgroundThis article describes a pilot study evaluating a novel liquid biopsy system for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The electric field-induced release and measurement (EFIRM) method utilizes an electrochemical biosensor for detecting oncogenic mutations in biofluids.MethodsSaliva and plasma of 17 patients were collected from three cancer centers prior to and after surgical resection. The EFIRM method was then applied to the collected samples to assay for exon 19 deletion and p.L858 mutations. EFIRM results were compared with cobas results of exon 19 deletion and p.L858 mutation detection in cancer tissues.ResultsThe EFIRM method was found to detect exon 19 deletion with an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.0 in both saliva and plasma samples in lung cancer patients. For L858R mutation detection, the AUC of saliva was 1.0, while the AUC of plasma was 0.98. Strong correlations were also found between presurgery and post-surgery samples for both saliva (0.86 for exon 19 and 0.98 for L858R) and plasma (0.73 for exon 19 and 0.94 for L858R).ConclusionOur study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing EFIRM to rapidly, non-invasively, and conveniently detect epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in the saliva of patients with NSCLC, with results corresponding perfectly with the results of cobas tissue genotyping