Despite numerous previous estimates of Luzon Strait transport (LST), we attempt an update using a fine‐resolution model. With these improvements, the circulation in and around Luzon Strait shows up ...rather realistically. Intrusion of a Kuroshio meander into the South China Sea (SCS) is seasonally varying. The LST, especially in the upper ocean, caused by a small difference between the large meander inflow and outflow, is also seasonally varying and subject to large standard deviation. The annual mean LST is estimated to be westward (−4.0 ± 5.1 Sv) along 120.75°E. We have also conducted process of elimination experiments to assess the relative importance of open ocean inflow/outflow, wind stress, and surface heat flux in regulating LST and its seasonality. The East Asian monsoon winds stand out as the predominant forcing. Without it, the upper ocean LST changes from westward to eastward (ranging up to 4 Sv) and, with misaligned seasonality, triggering an inflow from the Mindoro Strait to the SCS to replenish the water mass loss. Discounting monsoon winds, sea level in the Sulu Sea is generally higher because it receives the Indonesian Throughflow before the SCS, which causes an inflow from the Sulu Sea to the SCS. On the other hand, the annual mean wind from the northeast invites outflow from the SCS to the Sulu Sea (or inflow from the Luzon Strait). Weighing the two competing factors together, we see the cessation of northeast monsoon as a condition favorable for the Luzon Strait outflow or the Mindoro Strait inflow.
Key Points
Process experiments and relative importance of driving forcing
Predominant forcing and monsoon winds
The LST from an inflow to an outflow of up to 4 Sv without wind forcing
The aim of this study is to develop an efficient method for the decaffeination and enrichment of the polyphenols from cocoa husks extracts. LX-17 was selected for the exploration of optimal ...processing parameters from eight kinds of macroporous resins. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of (−)-epicatechin (EC) were studied prior to the scale-up separation. The optimum parameters for separation were as follow: 6.0 mg/mL cocoa extracts, pH 2.0, 25 °C column temperature, flow rates of adsorption and desorption 1.6 BV/h (Bed Volume, the volume of the resin) and ethanol-water (20:80, 50:50, 95:5, v/v) solutions in the gradient elution. In the scale-up separation, 2 kg of cocoa husks were extracted in 20 L 50% ethanol solutions, separated on 3 L LX-17 resins and yielded 34.99 g cocoa polyphenols. This method significantly increased the total polyphenol contents from 2.23% to 62.87% with a recovery yield of 78.57%.
•Polyphenols from cocoa husks can be enriched with macroporous resins.•The content of total polyphenols increased from 1.34% to 57.9%.•Adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics are studied respectively.•Caffeine and polyphenols were enriched in two fractions using LX-17 resin.•The scaling-up separation was found satisfactory.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
► Both HCII and GDBF modes can achieve a similar or even higher thermal efficiency than diesel CI combustion. ► The combustion duration in both HCII and GDBF modes shortened significantly. ► Soot ...emissions reduced dramatically in HCII and GDBF modes, with a maximum reduction of 90%. ► The HC emissions in GDBF mode remained almost unchanged, while the HC emissions in HCII mode increased dramatically. ► Both HCII and GDBF modes can achieve low temperature combustion with extremely low soot and NO emissions.
Gasoline Homogeneous Charge Induced Ignition (HCII) by diesel uses port fuel injection of gasoline to form a homogeneous charge and direct injection of diesel fuel as an ignition source. Gasoline/Diesel Blend Fuels (GDBFs) uses a premixed blend of diesel and gasoline which is directly injected into the cylinder for combustion. Exploratory studies show that these two ways may integrate the advantages of gasoline and diesel fuels to achieve high thermal efficiency and low emission targets. Combustion characteristics, emission characteristics, thermal efficiency and adaptability of low-temperature combustion in these two combustion modes have been comparatively investigated on a high-pressure common rail single-cylinder diesel engine. The results show that both HCII and GDBF modes can achieve higher thermal efficiency than gasoline SI combustion and a similar or even higher thermal efficiency than diesel CI combustion because the combustion was closer to constant volume combustion. As gasoline ratio increases, the fuel–air mixing is improved in both HCII and GDBF modes, and thus soot emissions reduced dramatically, with a biggest reduction of 90%. The ignition delay in HCII mode remained almost the same, while the ignition delay in GDBF mode increased significantly with the increase of gasoline ratio. As gasoline ratio increases, the combustion duration in both HCII and GDBF modes shortened significantly. Both HCII and GDBF modes can achieve low temperature combustion with extremely low soot and NO emissions when combined with large amounts of EGR. These modes demonstrate an advantage over the diesel CI combustion mode, where the NO emissions decreased and soot emissions increased with the increase of EGR, exhibiting the classical NO-soot trade-off.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The reactivation of herpes zoster (HZ) is associated with disease stress. However, the relationship between chondromalacia patella (CMP) and HZ remains poorly understood. This study investigated the ...relationship between CMP and the risk of developing HZ.
Data were collected from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients with CMP diagnosed between 2000 and 2017 were assigned to the case group; patients without CMP were randomly selected from the same database and paired with controls matched by age and sex. The primary outcome was a diagnosis of HZ. All patients were followed until their diagnosis of HZ, their withdrawal from the NHI program, their death, or the end of 2017, whichever was earliest. The risk of developing HZ was compared between the case and control groups.
In total, 22,710 patients with CMP and 90,840 matched controls were enrolled. The overall incidence rates of HZ in the CMP and control cohorts were 7.94 and 7.35 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. After potential confounders were controlled for, the case group exhibited a higher risk of HZ than did the control group adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.06, p < 0.05. In a stratification analysis by age, patients over 65 years old in the CMP group exhibited a higher risk of HZ than did those in the control group (aHR = 1.22, p < 0.01). In a stratification analysis by sex, women with CMP were at greater risk of developing HZ than women without CMP (aHR = 1.18, p < 0.01).
Patients with CMP, especially elder adults and women, exhibited a higher risk of HZ. The HZ risk of patients with CMP should thus be assessed, and the necessity of HZ vaccination should be informed.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background and Purpose
Ageing is an important risk factor of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here, we investigated whether the deficiency of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a ...ubiquitous coenzyme, links ageing with NAFLD.
Experimental Approach
Hepatic concentrations of NAD+, protein levels of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) and several other critical enzymes regulating NAD+ biosynthesis, were compared in middle‐aged and aged mice or patients. The influences of NAD+ decline on the steatosis and steatohepatitis were evaluated in wild‐type and H247A dominant‐negative, enzymically‐inactive NAMPT transgenic mice (DN‐NAMPT) given normal or high‐fat diet (HFD).
Key Results
Hepatic NAD+ level decreased in aged mice and humans. NAMPT‐controlled NAD+ salvage, but not de novo biosynthesis pathway, was compromised in liver of elderly mice and humans. Given normal chow, middle‐age DN‐NAMPT mice displayed systemic NAD+ reduction and had moderate NAFLD phenotypes, including lipid accumulation, enhanced oxidative stress, triggered inflammation and impaired insulin sensitivity in liver. All these NAFLD phenotypes, especially release of pro‐inflammatory factors, Kupffer cell accumulation, monocytes infiltration, NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and hepatic fibrosis (Masson's staining and α‐SMA staining), deteriorated further under HFD challenge. Oral administration of nicotinamide riboside, a natural NAD+ precursor, completely corrected these NAFLD phenotypes induced by NAD+ deficiency alone or HFD, whereas adenovirus‐mediated SIRT1 overexpression only partially rescued these phenotypes.
Conclusions and Implications
These results provide the first evidence that ageing‐associated NAD+ deficiency is a critical risk factor for NAFLD, and suggest that supplementation with NAD+ substrates may be a promising therapeutic strategy to prevent and treat NAFLD.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•The HPC was designed using the DMDA method with low cement content and CDW.•Using CDW affected the properties of the concrete samples.•The strength and durability of the HPC improved continuously ...over curing time.•The DMDA’s concrete exhibits an excellent performance and environmental sustainability.
This study was designed to examine the mechanical properties and durability of high-performance recycled aggregate concrete (HPRAC) containing high percentages of construction and demolition waste (CDW). In the samples, natural coarse aggregate was replaced with recycled coarse aggregate at respective ratios of 30%, 40%, and 50%, and natural fine aggregate was replaced with recycled fine aggregate at respective ratios of 40% and 50%. The concrete mixtures were designed using the Densified Mixture Design Algorithm (DMDA) method with low cement content and water binder (w/b) ratios of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5. Concrete samples were tested for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), electrical surface resistivity (ESR), thermal conductivity (TC), water absorption (WA), and rapid chloride penetration and were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs for microstructure. The results support a negative relationship in concrete between CDW content and strength and durability development as well as between the w/b ratio and mechanical properties and durability. However, all of the HPRAC specimens designed in this study using the DMDA method achieved a high strength range, good durability, and stability over curing time.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Curcumin (CUR) possesses pronounced anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Generally, the clinical application of CUR is restricted due to its apparent unstability and poor absorption, and the ...biological activities of CUR may be closely associated with its metabolites. Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) and octahydrocurcumin (OHC) are two major hydrogenated metabolites of CUR with appreciable biological potentials. Here, we comparatively explored the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of CUR, THC, and OHC in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced RAW264.7 macrophages. The results revealed that CUR, THC, and OHC dose-dependently inhibited the generation of NO and MCP-1 as well as the gene expression of MCP-1 and iNOS. Additionally, CUR, THC, and OHC significantly inhibited NF-κB activation and p38MAPK and ERK phosphorylation, while substantially upregulated the Nrf2 target gene expression (HO-1, NQO-1, GCLC, and GCLM). Nevertheless, zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), a typical HO-1 inhibitor, significantly reversed the alleviative effect of CUR, THC, and OHC on LPS-stimulated ROS generation. These results demonstrated that CUR, THC, and OHC exerted beneficial effect on LPS-stimulated inflammatory and oxidative responses, at least partially, through inhibiting the NF-κB and MAPKs pathways and activating Nrf2-regulated antioxidant gene expression. Particularly, THC and OHC might exert superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities to CUR in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, which can be further explored to be a promising novel effective agent for inflammatory treatment.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Metrnl is a newly identified secreted protein highly expressed in the intestinal epithelium. This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of intestinal epithelial Metrnl in ulcerative colitis. ...Metrnl
(intestinal epithelial cell-specific Metrnl knockout) mice did not display any phenotypes of colitis under basal conditions. However, under administration of 3% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) drinking water, colitis was more severe in Metrnl
mice than in WT mice, as indicated by comparisons of body weight loss, the presence of occult or gross blood per rectum, stool consistency, shrinkage in the colon, intestinal damage, and serum levels of inflammatory factors. DSS-induced colitis activated autophagy in the colon. This activation was partially inhibited by intestinal epithelial Metrnl deficiency, as indicated by a decrease in Beclin-1 and LC3-II/I and an increase in p62 in DSS-treated Metrnl
mice compared with WT mice. These phenomena were further confirmed by observation of autophagosomes and immunofluorescence staining for LC3 in epithelial cells. The autophagy-related AMPK-mTOR-p70S6K pathway was also activated in DSS-induced colitis, and this pathway was partially blocked by intestinal epithelial Metrnl deficiency, as indicated by a decrease in AMPK phosphorylation and an increase in mTOR and p70S6K phosphorylation in DSS-treated Metrnl
mice compared with WT mice. Therefore, Metrnl deficiency deteriorated ulcerative colitis at least partially through inhibition of autophagy via the AMPK-mTOR-p70S6K pathway, suggesting that Metrnl is a therapeutic target for ulcerative colitis.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Abstract In recent years, cancer vaccines that intend to specifically initiate host immune responses against cancer have achieved some clinical success. Delivery of vaccines with traditional needles ...is usually associated with the risk of infection and poor patient compliance. The development of needle‐free vaccines may overcome these limitations. In this work, a needle‐free patch is designed for effective cancer vaccination using a fluorine chain‐modified cationic polymer, fluorinated chitosan (FCS), which is able to transdermatically deliver the antigen to antigen‐presenting cells in the skin. Specifically, a transdermal carrier, FCS, and model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) can self‐assemble into nanoparticles, which can reversibly open the tight junction‐associated proteins of epithelial cells and penetrate across the epidermis. The needle‐free cancer vaccine patch is fabricated by mixing FCS‐OVA nanoparticles with the US Food and Drug Administration‐approved immune adjuvant imiquimod (R837) in blank cream. Such a needle‐free cancer vaccine can generate robust immune responses to protect mice against ovalbumin‐expressing melanoma (B16‐OVA). Compared to traditional intradermal injection, needle‐free cancer vaccines achieved an even more efficient protection effect against B16‐OVA cancer cells. This work indicated that the novel needle‐free cancer vaccine may provide a compelling technology for simple and safe vaccination, which may help to increase vaccination coverage.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) are both associated with significant morbidity and mortality ...in daily clinical practice, as well as in a critical care setting. It is unclear whether colistin susceptible-only Acinetobacter baumannii (CSO AB) is a unique phenotype separate from or a subset of CRAB-associated pneumonia. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of CSO AB pneumonia and compare the presentation and outcome between CSO AB and CRAB-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients. This multicenter retrospective cohort study initially recruited 955 patients with CR-GNB pneumonia. After exclusion, 575 patients left who were ICU-admitted and had CRAB nosocomial pneumonia remained. Among them, 79 patients had CSO AB pneumonia, classified as the CSO AB group. The other 496 patients were classified as the CRAB group. We compared demographic characteristics, disease severity, and treatment outcomes between the two groups. The prevalence of CSO AB among all cases of CRAB pneumonia was 13.74% (79/575). The CSO AB and CRAB groups had similar demographic characteristics and disease severities at initial presentation. The in-hospital mortality rate was 45.6% and 46.4% for CSO AB and CRAB groups, respectively (p = 0.991). The CSO AB group had significantly better clinical outcomes at day 7 (65.8% vs 52.4%, p = 0.036) but longer length of ICU stay (27 days vs 19 days, p = 0.043) compared to the CRAB group. However, other treatment outcomes, including clinical outcomes at day 14 and 28, mortality, microbiological eradication, ventilator weaning, and newly onset dialysis, were similar. In conclusion, CSO AB accounted for 13.74% of all cases of CRAB pneumonia, and the clinical presentation and treatment outcomes of CSO AB and CRAB pneumonia were similar.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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