A cogeneration system is proposed for power and fresh water production in which the waste heat from a supercritical CO2 recompression Brayton cycle is utilized to power a conventional multi-effect ...desalination system. Energy, exergy and exergoeconomic analyses are performed for the proposed system and compared to a stand-alone supercritical CO2 recompression Brayton cycle. Under the same operating conditions, the results show that the energy utilization factor and exergy efficiency of the proposed system increase by 6.3% and 0.15%, respectively, compared to the stand-alone supercritical CO2 recompression Brayton cycle. A parametric analysis is conducted to investigate the influence of design parameters on the key performance parameters for the proposed system. Furthermore, single- and multi-objective optimizations are performed to find the optimal design using a genetic algorithm method. The energy utilization factor, exergy efficiency and total product unit cost of the proposed system from exergoeconomic optimization are 54.8%, 67.7% and 7.42 $/GJ, respectively which are 6.2%, 0.52% and 2.1% higher than the corresponding values for a base case. Also, the fresh water and net power productions are increased by 103% and 0.19%, respectively. From exergoeconomic optimization, the water and electricity prices are 0.72 $/m3 and 0.029 $/kWh, respectively.
•Integrated system of supercritical CO2 cycle and thermal desalination is proposed.•Exergoeconomic analysis and optimization are carried out for the proposed system.•The effects of key design parameters on system performance are assessed.•Three objective functions are used for optimization.•Freshwater and power productions increase by 103% and 0.19% with optimization.
Voltage-gated K
+
(Kv) channel opening repolarizes excitable cells by allowing K
+
efflux. Over the last two decades, multiple Kv functions in the nervous system have been found to be unrelated to or ...beyond the immediate control of excitability, such as shaping action potential contours or regulation of inter-spike frequency. These functions include neuronal exocytosis and neurite formation, neuronal cell death, regulation of astrocyte Ca
2+
, glial cell and glioma proliferation. Some of these functions have been shown to be independent of K
+
conduction, that is, they suggest the non-canonical functions of Kv channels. In this review, we focus on neuronal or glial plasmalemmal Kv channel functions which are unrelated to shaping action potentials or immediate control of excitability. Similar functions in other cell types will be discussed to some extent in appropriate contexts.
•Discrepancies among common adsorption isotherms of silica-gel/water are addressed.•New coefficients for the D–A model are proposed to eliminate these disagreements.•Experimental setup is built to ...measure the sorption kinetics and equilibrium uptake.•Adsorption isotherms of silica-gel 2060 and RD/water are measured experimentally.•The characteristic energy of D–A model is set as a function of relative pressure.
This paper addresses the discrepancies among the common adsorption isotherms of silica-gel/water provided in the literature. It is reported that the Freundlich model and Tòth equation cannot be used to estimate the uptake at relative pressure less than 0.15. In addition, inconsistencies are found among the various models and equations used to describe the uptake of water vapor onto silica-gel. New coefficients for the Dubinin–Astakhov (D–A) model are proposed to eliminate these disagreements. Due to the limited experimental measurements, an experimental setup is designed and built to measure the sorption kinetics and equilibrium uptake of any working pairs. Experimental measurements show that the maximum uptakes of silica gel RD-2060 and Type-RD are 0.38 kg kg−1 and 0.48 kg kg−1, respectively. Apparent capillary condensation is observed at a relative pressure of 0.4 and 0.35 for silica-gel RD and RD-2060, respectively. Also, it is found that the D–A model can fit the adsorption isotherms of silica-gels appropriately for the entire range of relative pressure when the characteristic energy is set as a function of relative pressure instead of assuming constant values.
An exergo-economic model is used to simulate four different feed configurations of multi-effect desalination with thermal vapor compressor (MED-TVC) system. The feed configurations considered are ...backward feed (BF), forward feed (FF), parallel feed (PF) and parallel cross feed (PCF). The model results indicate that the PCF configuration has better performance characteristics than the other feed configurations regarding gain output ratio (GOR) and specific heat consumption (SHC), but it has the highest specific cooling seawater flow rate (sMcw). On the other hand, the BF configuration has the lowest sMcw. The highest exergy destruction (58%) occurs within the TVC unit and this can be reduced by lowering the supplied motive steam pressure. The exergy destructions in the condenser and pumps account for 4 to 6.7% of the total exergy destruction for all feed configurations. The MED-TVC under consideration has a second law efficiency between 3.9 and 4.6%. Lowering the motive steam pressure for the PCF from 2300 to 300 kPa results in a 7.5% reduction in GOR and a 25.4% increase in the second law efficiency. Reducing the exergy destruction in the TVC unit is cost-effective for the entire system even with the increase in capital investment costs. The specific exergy cost flow method is used to estimate the total water price for BF, FF, PF and PCF as 2.12, 2.30, 2.16 and 2.09 $/m3, respectively.
•Steady-state and thermo-economic models are developed for different MED-TVC feed configurations.•MED-TVC with BF configuration has the lowest specific cooling seawater flow rate.•Reducing the exergy destruction in the TVC unit is cost effective for the MED-TVC system.•Lowering the motive steam pressure increases the second law efficiency with a slight decrease in GOR.•The effect of various economic parameters on the water price is investigated.
This study (EGF20009) assessed the efficacy and tolerability of two lapatinib administration schedules as first-line monotherapy in women with ErbB2-amplified locally advanced or metastatic breast ...cancer.
Patients with ErbB2-amplified, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer previously untreated in the metastatic setting were randomly assigned to one of two lapatinib dose cohorts and received either 1,500 mg once daily or 500 mg twice daily. Clinical response was assessed at weeks 8 and 12 and every 12 weeks thereafter.
A total of 138 patients were treated with lapatinib for a median of 17.6 weeks. The overall response rate (complete response CR plus partial response PR) was 24% in the intent-to-treat population, and 31% of patients derived clinical benefit (CR, PR, or stable disease for >or= 24 weeks). The median time to response was 7.9 weeks, and the progression-free survival rates at 4 and 6 months were 63% and 43%, respectively. The most common lapatinib-related adverse events (AEs) were diarrhea, rash, pruritus, and nausea, and these events were primarily grade 1 or 2. There were no significant differences in clinical activity or the AE profile between the dosing schedules.
Lapatinib demonstrated clinical activity and was well tolerated as first-line therapy in ErbB2-amplified locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. This study supports further evaluation of lapatinib in first-line and early-stage ErbB2-overexpressing breast cancer.
An exergo-economic model is used to assess the performance of a multi-effect desalination plant integrated to a mechanical vapor compressor unit (MED-MVC) with a water production capacity of ...1500 m3/day. The results show that the second law efficiency (ηII) is 2.8%. The MVC and evaporator units are responsible for about 39 and 52% of the total exergy destruction, respectively. The total water price (TWP) is 1.70 $/m3 when calculated using a simple conventional economic model and 1.63 $/m3 when calculated using an exergy-based cost model. Increasing the number of effects from 1 to 6 results in a 39% reduction in the specific power consumption (SPC), a 70% increase in ηII and a 24% decrease in TWP. A dynamic model is developed to investigate the effect of fluctuations of compressor work (W˙c) and inlet seawater temperature (Tsw) on the plant behavior and performance. The dynamic model results show that the disturbance in W˙c has a significant effect on the plant transient behavior and may cause the plant to cease operation while a disturbance in Tsw has only a moderate impact. Increasing Tsw above a certain value of the steady-state condition without proper control on the plant response could lead to evaporator dry out. In term of performance, a reduction in W˙c causes a decrease in the plant production capacity and SPC, while it increases the plant performance ratio (PR). On the other hand, a reduction in the inlet Tsw causes a reduction in the plant production capacity and PR and an increase in SPC for the same compressor work. Furthermore, a comparison between a MED-MVC system and a MED integrated to a thermal vapor compressor system (MED-TVC) reveals that the latter system is rather sensitive to the reduction in Tsw due to the presence of the condenser unit in the MED-TVC. The response of the MED-MVC system is slower than the MED-TVC which is due to the high thermal capacity of the preheaters for the feed in the MED-MVC.
•Exergo-economic and simple cost models are used to estimate the total water price.•Dynamic behavior of MED-MVC plant under input disturbances is presented.•Compressor power changes have a significant effect on the plant transient behavior.•Seawater temperature reduction decreases the plant capacity and increases the SPC.
Summary Cancer is one of the major non-communicable diseases posing a threat to world health. Unfortunately, improvements in socioeconomic conditions are usually associated with increased cancer ...incidence. In this Commission, we focus on China, India, and Russia, which share rapidly rising cancer incidence and have cancer mortality rates that are nearly twice as high as in the UK or the USA, vast geographies, growing economies, ageing populations, increasingly westernised lifestyles, relatively disenfranchised subpopulations, serious contamination of the environment, and uncontrolled cancer-causing communicable infections. We describe the overall state of health and cancer control in each country and additional specific issues for consideration: for China, access to care, contamination of the environment, and cancer fatalism and traditional medicine; for India, affordability of care, provision of adequate health personnel, and sociocultural barriers to cancer control; and for Russia, monitoring of the burden of cancer, societal attitudes towards cancer prevention, effects of inequitable treatment and access to medicine, and a need for improved international engagement.
In this study, exergy analysis of four different feed configurations of a multi-effect desalination with mechanical vapor compressor (MED-MVC) system is initially studied to identify the area of ...exergy destruction within system components and followed by an exergo-economic study. The feed configurations considered are forward feed (FF), backward feed (BF), parallel feed (PF) and parallel/cross feed (PCF). From the 1st law energy analysis, the PCF and FF configurations require less work to achieve equal distillate production compared to other two configurations. For instance, the specific power consumption (SPC) values are 30.1, 13.7, 23 and 13.9 kWh/m3 for the BF, FF, PF and PCF configurations, respectively. Changing the feed arrangement from BF to FF and PF to PCF at a constant compression ratio, the total fixed cost for the MED-MVC plant can be reduced by ∼30% and 17%, respectively. Second law efficiency (ηII) calculations show that the PCF (2.9%) has the highest value followed by the FF (2.7%), while the BF (2.4%) exhibits the lowest value among all configurations. The highest exergy destruction (35–50%) occurs within the MVC unit. This can be reduced by limiting the design plant operation to a lower temperature range or increasing the number of effects. Increasing the number of effects for PCF from 1 to 6 results in a 39% reduction in the SPC and a 70% increase in the second law efficiency. Operating at lower steam temperature results in an increase in the ηII, and a decrease in the SPC and total water price (TWP) of the MED-MVC system. Reducing the exergy destruction in the preheaters and the MVC unit is cost-effective for the entire system even with an increase in capital investment costs. Three different cost models are used to estimate the average TWPs for the BF, FF, PF and PCF configurations, and the TWPs are found to be 3.0, 1.7, 2.4 and 1.7 $/m3, respectively.
•Three different cost models are used to estimate the water price for MED-MVC systems.•The effects of the main operating parameters on the MED-MVC system performance and economics are analyzed.•Operating at lower steam temperature increases the MED-MVC system ηII, and decreases both SPC and TWP.•The optimal balance design parameters of N and TBT that achieve the optimum economic operation are presented.
The purpose of the study was to test the efficacy of neoadjuvant palbociclib therapy and to evaluate its impact on cell cycle arrest and changes in EndoPredict (EP) scores before and after treatment. ...Postmenopausal women with histologically proven ER+ve, HER2−ve invasive breast cancer, 2 cm or greater, were enrolled in an open-label, single-arm study. Twenty eligible patients were given letrozole 2.5 mg per day together with palbociclib 125 mg per day for 3 out of 4 weeks in repeated cycles for 16 weeks (4 cycles) before surgery. The primary end points were clinical response rates (cRR) and preoperative endocrine prognostic index (PEPI). The secondary end points were pathologic response and gene expression testing with EP test on collected tumor samples. The following results were obtained. 17 patients showed a clinical response of 50% or more, including 8 complete responses and 9 partial responses. There was significant reduction in area (P < 0.0001) and volume (P = 0.017) of the cancer. Pathologic complete response (pCR) was achieved in one patient; all cancers were downgraded after treatment. Ki67 (P = 0.044) and EP scores (P < 0.0001) were significantly reduced after treatment. Analysis of the relative gene expression levels showed that all proliferative genes, IL6ST and RBBP8 were decreased after palbociclib treatment. 6 patients with intermediate and three patients with high PEPI risk scores were found to have low EPclin scores. All patients with high PEPI relapse risk score had high EPclin score. In conclusion, effective clinical response was demonstrated by neoadjuvant letrozole in combination with palbociclib. Compared with PEPI, EPclin might be a better parameter to estimate prognosis after neoadjuvant therapy.
The current clinical management model of HER2-positive breast cancers is commonly based on guidelines, which in turn are based on the design and outcome of clinical trials. While this model is useful ...to most practicing clinicians, the treatment outcome of individual patient is not certain at the start of treatment. As the understanding of the translational research of carcinogenesis and the related changes in cancer genetics and tumor microenvironment during treatment is critical in the selection of right choice of treatment to maximize the successful clinical outcome for the patient, this review article intends to discuss the latest developments in the genetic and molecular mechanisms of cancer progression and treatment resistance, and how they influence the planning of the treatment strategies of HER2-positive breast cancers.
PDF
