Influence of impeller and diffuser geometries on the lateral fluid forces of whirling centrifugal impeller

Lateral fluid forces on two-dimensional centrifugal impellers, which whirl on a circular orbit in a vaneless diffuser, were reported. Experiments were further conducted for the cases in which a three-dimensional centrifugal impeller, a model of the boiler feed pump, whirls in vaneless and vaned diffusers. The influence of the clearance configuration between the casing and front shroud of the impeller was also investigated. The result indicated that the fluid dynamic interaction between the impeller and the guide vanes induces quite strong fluctuating fluid forces to the impeller, but nevertheless its influence on radial and tangential force components averaged over a whirling orbit is relatively small

Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta for anemia with chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for end-stage renal failure and cardiovascular events. In patients with CKD, anemia is often caused by decreased erythropoietin production relative to hemoglobin levels. As correction of anemia is associated with improved cardiac and renal function and quality of life, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are standard therapy for anemia in CKD patients. However, traditional ESAs such as epoetin or darbepoetin have short half-lives and require frequent administration, dose changes, and close monitoring of hemoglobin concentration to maintain target hemoglobin levels. Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (MPG-EPO) is the only ESA that is generated by chemical modification of glycosylated erythropoietin through the integration of one specific, long, linear chain of polyethylene glycol. This ESA induces continuous erythropoietin receptor activation and has a long half-life (approximately 130 hours). Subcutaneous or intravenous administration of MPG-EPO once every 2 weeks or monthly achieved a high hemoglobin response rate in patients with anemia associated with CKD, regardless of whether the patient was undergoing dialysis. According to data from an observational time and motion study, MPG-EPO maintains hemoglobin levels when the same dose is administered, however infrequently. This suggests that compared with the use of traditional ESAs, administration of MPG-EPO reduces the overall time and cost associated with the management of anemia in CKD patients undergoing dialysis. MPG-EPO is generally well tolerated and most adverse events are of mild to moderate severity. The most commonly reported adverse effects are hypertension, nasopharyngitis, and diarrhea. Subcutaneous injection of MPG-EPO is significantly less painful than subcutaneous injection of darbepoetin. In conclusion, MPG-EPO is as effective and safe as traditional ESAs in managing renal anemia, irrespective of whether the patient is undergoing dialysis

Anomalies of the bile ducts: a case report of direct drain of the cystic duct into the papilla of Vater.

Direct drain of the cystic duct and drain of the biliary tract through an internal fistula into the duodenum in a 81-year-old man were endoscopically diagnosed without an operation.</p

Some Aspects of Neg-Raising in English : Toward an Interpretive Principle

After critically examining some major arguments both for and against NR (cf. Sec. 1), we have attempted the characterization of the putatively NR-triggering modal verbs, which proved to be strongly correlated with mood or modality (Sec. 2.2). In so doing, Horn\u27s mid-scalar hypothesis was shown to be basically useful in characterizing modal verbs sensitive to NR ; that is, verbs of the nonfactive class in the mid-scalar position (Sec. 2.1). Finally we have argued against NR as a transformational rule (Sec. 3). It turned out then that Negative Penetrability Principle, an interpretive principle in the sense of Jackendoff (1972), has greater descriptive adequacy in handling a wide range of the syntactic and semantic phenomena involving the varying degrees of negativity strength exhibited by various types of complement clauses

A Rhabdomyosarcoma Arising in the Larynx of a Dog

A neoplastic nodular lesion, 2 × 3 cm in diameter, was found in the larynx of a 6-year-old spayed female dog. The tumor was ill-circumscribed, consisting histologically of large round cells with abundant cytoplasm interspersed with small round cells with less cytoplasm and occasional multinucleated cells (myotubes). Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for myoglobin, desmin and vimentin in varying degrees, but negative for S-100 protein, GFAP or cytokeratin. Cytoplasmic myofilaments/myofibrils with a dense Z-line-like structure were seen, the fine structures of which were complemented by PTAH stain. Based on these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as a rhabdomyosarcoma, a very rare tumor in the larynx of dogs