Experimental Assessment on Performance of a Heat Pump Cycle Using R32/R1234yf and R744/R32/R1234yf

     Hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs) are widely used as working fluids (refrigerants) in air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. However, at the 1997 Kyoto Conference (COP3), it was determined that the product and use of HFCs should be regulated due to their high global warming potential (GWP). In the above mentioned situation for the air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, recently, R1234yf having extremely low-GWP was nominated as one of the alternates of HFCs. Some literatures reported that the heating capacity of heat pump cycles using R1234yf is less than R410A because of its smaller vapor density and latent heat. To achieve the performance comparable to R410A, much larger unit is required. Therefore, in this present study, mixing with R32 of larger latent heat and relatively low-GWP into R1234yf was attempted. Additionally, R744 having higher vapor density and extremely low-GWP was added into R32/R1234yf.  The R32/R1234yf and R744/R32/R1234yf are zeotropic mixtures that cause temperature change during the phase-change, typically called temperature glide. When this temperature glide is utilized effectively to decrease the irreversible loss in heat exchanger, the cycle performance can be improved. The degree of temperature glide is determined by the composition of refrigerant mixtures. The composition of the test refrigerants are selected from the criterions of GWPs just below 300 and 200.Experiment was conducted with a vapor compression heat pump cycle using a compressor developed for R410A. The condenser and the evaporator are tube-in tube heat exchangers of counter-flow configuration.  At compositions with GWP200 and a given heating capacity, the COP of R32/R1234yf and R744/R32/R1234yf are lower than that of R410A. The main causes were that R32/R1234yf of GWP200 has lower vapor density and R744/R32/R1234yf of GWP200 has lager temperature glide. At compositions with GWP300, R32/R1234yf and R744/R32/R1234yf exhibit comparable COP and heating capacity to R410A. Using R32/R1234yf and R744/R32/R1234yf of compositions with GWP300, as the alternatives of R410A, is feasible idea

Nurses' Practical Wisdom for the Support of Dementia Patients Among Hospital Outpatients

Purpose: To establish and understand nurses' practical wisdom and interventions of support for dementia and possible dementia patients at hospital outpatient wards. Methods: A qualitative design was used to collect data through semi-structured focus group interviews. The participants were 13 female nurses working at hospital outpatient wards.Data were analyzed using the KJ Method. Results: Seven themes symbolizing the properties of the final label were extracted as follows:‘Observation of patients with focused awareness, and are continuously engaged with their patients',‘Approach to the problems of the patients, and sensitively work to understand the worries of patients based on past cases of problems',‘Looking out for simple ways patients can look after themselves, implicitly and thoroughly, making the best use of the ways that patients are familiar with and which they are able to understand',‘Preparations for scheduled consultations by developing a network to assist with problem prevention and recording episodes about problems involving the patients',‘Requests for cooperation to continue treatment by choosing intermediaries/resources appropriately as based on the importance of the medical treatment',‘Responses that do not conflict with the feelings of the family by considering the possible reluctance of accepting that a family member has dementia', and‘Attitude not to blame matters on dementia by reflecting on how the environment and care ought to be'.’ Conclusion:Nurses' practical wisdom is a type of support provided for patients in a natural manner without being noticed as special or particular by the patients

The Constrained Maximal Expression Level Owing to Haploidy Shapes Gene Content on the Mammalian X Chromosome.

X chromosomes are unusual in many regards, not least of which is their nonrandom gene content. The causes of this bias are commonly discussed in the context of sexual antagonism and the avoidance of activity in the male germline. Here, we examine the notion that, at least in some taxa, functionally biased gene content may more profoundly be shaped by limits imposed on gene expression owing to haploid expression of the X chromosome. Notably, if the X, as in primates, is transcribed at rates comparable to the ancestral rate (per promoter) prior to the X chromosome formation, then the X is not a tolerable environment for genes with very high maximal net levels of expression, owing to transcriptional traffic jams. We test this hypothesis using The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and data from the Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome (FANTOM5) project. As predicted, the maximal expression of human X-linked genes is much lower than that of genes on autosomes: on average, maximal expression is three times lower on the X chromosome than on autosomes. Similarly, autosome-to-X retroposition events are associated with lower maximal expression of retrogenes on the X than seen for X-to-autosome retrogenes on autosomes. Also as expected, X-linked genes have a lesser degree of increase in gene expression than autosomal ones (compared to the human/Chimpanzee common ancestor) if highly expressed, but not if lowly expressed. The traffic jam model also explains the known lower breadth of expression for genes on the X (and the Z of birds), as genes with broad expression are, on average, those with high maximal expression. As then further predicted, highly expressed tissue-specific genes are also rare on the X and broadly expressed genes on the X tend to be lowly expressed, both indicating that the trend is shaped by the maximal expression level not the breadth of expression per se. Importantly, a limit to the maximal expression level explains biased tissue of expression profiles of X-linked genes. Tissues whose tissue-specific genes are very highly expressed (e.g., secretory tissues, tissues abundant in structural proteins) are also tissues in which gene expression is relatively rare on the X chromosome. These trends cannot be fully accounted for in terms of alternative models of biased expression. In conclusion, the notion that it is hard for genes on the Therian X to be highly expressed, owing to transcriptional traffic jams, provides a simple yet robustly supported rationale of many peculiar features of X's gene content, gene expression, and evolution

Layout Group Extraction from Web Content for Effective Adaptation

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Acute and delayed psychiatric sequelae among patients hospitalised with COVID-19: a cohort study using LIFE study data

Background Characterising the psychiatric sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can inform the development of long-term treatment strategies. However, few studies have examined these sequelae at different time points after COVID-19 infection.Aims The study aimed to investigate the incidences and risks of acute and delayed psychiatric sequelae in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Japan.Methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted using a database comprising healthcare claims data from public health insurance enrollees residing in a Japanese city. We analysed a primary cohort comprising patients hospitalised with COVID-19 between March 2020 and July 2021 and two control cohorts comprising patients hospitalised with influenza or other respiratory tract infections (RTI) during the same period. We calculated the incidences of acute (1–3 months after infection) and delayed (4–6 months after infection) psychiatric sequelae. These sequelae were identified using diagnosis codes and categorised as mood/anxiety/psychotic disorder, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, psychotic disorder or insomnia. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of psychiatric sequelae occurrence after COVID-19 infection compared with influenza and other RTI.Results The study population with acute psychiatric sequela consisted of 662 patients with COVID-19, 644 patients with influenza, and 7369 patients with RTI who could be followed for 3 months; the study population with delayed psychiatric sequelae consisted of 371 patients with COVID-19, 546 patients with influenza, and 5397 patients with RTI who could be followed for 6 months. In the analysis of acute psychiatric sequelae, COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of mood/anxiety/psychotic disorder (OR: 1.39, p=0.026), psychotic disorder (OR: 2.13, p<0.001), and insomnia (OR: 2.59, p<0.001) than influenza, and significantly higher odds of insomnia (OR: 1.44, p=0.002) and significantly lower odds of anxiety disorder (OR: 0.56, p<0.001) than other RTI. In the analysis of delayed psychiatric sequelae, COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of psychotic disorder (OR: 2.25, p=0.007) than influenza, but significantly lower odds of anxiety disorder (OR: 0.55, p=0.011) than other RTI.Conclusions COVID-19 was generally associated with an increased risk of psychiatric sequelae occurring within 3 months after infection, but had a lower risk of new psychiatric sequelae developing 4–6 months after infection

Vapor Pressure, (p, ρ, T) Behavior, Saturated Densities, and Surface Tension of trans-1,2-Dichloroethene[R1130(E)]

The (p,ρ,T) behavior of trans-1,2-dichloroethene [R1130(E)] were xperimentally investigated based on the isochoric method. A total of 73 single-phase (p,ρ,T) data (52 vapor phase and 21 liquid phase) were obtained along 15 isochores at temperatures from 329 K to 453 K and pressures up to 10.5 MPa. A total of 14 vapor pressure data were obtained along an isochore close to the critical density. Several saturated vapor and liquid densities were analytically determined from the intersections of the vapor pressure curve and single-phase isochores. These experimental data are reasonably represented with the extended corresponding states (ECS) model employing the universal parameters generalized to hydrofluoroolefins. Moreover, the measurement of surface tensions was attempted for R1130(E) with the differential capillary rise method, and a total of 38 surface tension data were obtained at temperatures from 228 K to 373 K. They were successfully correlated with different two correlations. Differences between the experimental data and calculated values with the correlations are almost within the uncertainty

Comparative assessment on irreversible losses in heat pumps using R744/R32/R1234yf and R744/R32/R1234ze(E)

This article presents an experimental assessment of coefficient of performance and irreversible loss in the heat pump cycle using hydro-fluoro-olefin base ternary mixtures: YF300 (R744/R32/R1234yf; 4/44/52 mass%), YF200 (R744/R32/R1234yf; 5/28/67 mass%), ZE300 (R744/R32/R1234ze(E); 4/43/53 mass%), and ZE200 (R744/R32/R1234ze(E); 9/29/62 mass%). The smaller volumetric capacity of YF200 and ZE200 increases the irreversible loss caused by the pressure drop with increasing heat load. ZE200, which has a temperature glide of approximately 22 K, increases the irreversible loss in the condenser, evaporator, and expansion valve. The experimental results indicate that YF300 and ZE300 could be potential alternatives to R410A and R32