A natural gas liquefaction and liquid recovery sequence is proposed for top-side offshore floating liquefied natural gas processing. During liquefaction, a single mixed refrigerant is separated into ...heavy and light key components, separately compressed after the main cryogenic heat exchanger and then mixed again to make a single mixed refrigerant. The proposed liquefaction cycle has a simple, compact structure and is suitable for power-efficient, offshore, floating liquefied natural gas liquefaction. The natural gas liquid recovery process employs space- and energy-efficient dividing wall columns for the integration of depropanization and debutanization. The columns were optimized by response surface methodology. A compact top dividing wall column configuration could reduce total annual costs. A combined process integrating natural gas liquefaction and liquid recovery is finally proposed.
•Practical method for finding optimum refrigerant composition is proposed for LNG plant.•Knowledge of boiling point differences in refrigerant component is employed.•Implementation of process ...knowledge notably makes LNG process energy efficient.•Optimization of LNG plant is more transparent using process knowledge.
Mixed refrigerant (MR) systems are used in many industrial applications because of their high energy efficiency, compact design and energy-efficient heat transfer compared to other processes operating with pure refrigerants. The performance of MR systems depends strongly on the optimum refrigerant composition, which is difficult to obtain. This paper proposes a simple and practical method for selecting the appropriate refrigerant composition, which was inspired by (i) knowledge of the boiling point difference in MR components, and (ii) their specific refrigeration effect in bringing a MR system close to reversible operation. A feasibility plot and composite curves were used for full enforcement of the approach temperature. The proposed knowledge-based optimization approach was described and applied to a single MR and a propane precooled MR system for natural gas liquefaction. Maximization of the heat exchanger exergy efficiency was considered as the optimization objective to achieve an energy efficient design goal. Several case studies on single MR and propane precooled MR processes were performed to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. The application of the proposed method is not restricted to liquefiers, and can be applied to any refrigerator and cryogenic cooler where a MR is involved.
This study examined the effect that the thin plate shape of the amorphous metallic fibers has on the attainability of the mixing conditions, the static mechanic properties, and the impact resistance ...of concrete and cement composites (mortar) to those of hooked-end steel fibers. The amorphous metallic fiber-reinforced concrete was found to lose a significant amount of its flowability as a result of mixing, relative to the hooked-end steel fiber reinforced concrete. The hooked-end steel fiber exhibited pull-out from the matrix after the peak pull-out load was attained, while the amorphous metallic fiber with the large bond-specific surface area was not pulled out from the matrix, but was instead cut off. In terms of impact resistance, the amorphous metallic fiber reinforced concrete was found to be more effective at resisting cracking than the hooked-end steel fiber reinforced concrete. Therefore, amorphous metallic fiber should be used in fiber reinforced cement composite materials and structures, for structural materials, and for protection panels.
Maintaining epidermal homeostasis relies on a tightly organized process of proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes. While past studies have primarily focused on calcium regulation in ...keratinocyte differentiation, recent research has shed light on the crucial role of lysosome dysfunction in this process. TLR adaptor interacting with SLC15A4 on the lysosome (TASL) plays a role in regulating pH within the endo-lysosome. However, the specific role of TASL in keratinocyte differentiation and its potential impact on proliferation remains elusive. In our study, we discovered that TASL deficiency hinders the proliferation and migration of keratinocytes by inducing G1/S cell cycle arrest. Also, TASL deficiency disrupts proper differentiation process in TASL knockout human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) by affecting lysosomal function. Additionally, our research into calcium-induced differentiation showed that TASL deficiency affects calcium modulation, which is essential for keratinocyte regulation. These findings unveil a novel role of TASL in the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes, providing new insights into the intricate regulatory mechanisms of keratinocyte biology.
Background and Objectives: The number of patients who undergo multiple operations on a knee is increasing. The objective of this study was to develop a deep learning algorithm that could detect 17 ...different surgical implants on plain knee radiographs. Materials and Methods: An internal dataset consisted of 5206 plain knee antero-posterior X-rays from a single, tertiary institute for model development. An external set contained 238 X-rays from another tertiary institute. A total of 17 different types of implants including total knee arthroplasty, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, plate, and screw were labeled. The internal dataset was approximately split into a train set, a validation set, and an internal test set at a ratio of 7:1:2. You Only look Once (YOLO) was selected as the detection network. Model performances with the validation set, internal test set, and external test set were compared. Results: Total accuracy, total sensitivity, total specificity value of the validation set, internal test set, and external test set were (0.978, 0.768, 0.999), (0.953, 0.810, 0.990), and (0.956, 0.493, 0.975), respectively. Means ± standard deviations (SDs) of diagonal components of confusion matrix for these three subsets were 0.858 ± 0.242, 0.852 ± 0.182, and 0.576 ± 0.312, respectively. True positive rate of total knee arthroplasty, the most dominant class of the dataset, was higher than 0.99 with internal subsets and 0.96 with an external test set. Conclusion: Implant identification on plain knee radiographs could be automated using a deep learning technique. The detection algorithm dealt with overlapping cases while maintaining high accuracy on total knee arthroplasty. This could be applied in future research that analyzes X-ray images with deep learning, which would help prompt decision-making in clinics.
FUSE binding protein 1 (
), a regulator of the c-Myc transcription factor and a DNA/RNA-binding protein, plays important roles in the regulation of gene transcription and cellular physiology. In this ...study, to reveal the precise developmental function of
, we examined the detailed expression pattern and developmental function of
during tooth morphogenesis by RT-qPCR, in situ hybridization, and knock-down study using in vitro organ cultivation methods. In embryogenesis,
is obviously expressed in the enamel organ and condensed mesenchyme, known to be important for proper tooth formation. Knocking down
at E14 for two days, showed the altered expression patterns of tooth development related signalling molecules, including
and
. In addition, transient knock-down of
at E14 revealed changes in the localization patterns of c-Myc and cell proliferation in epithelium and mesenchyme, related with altered tooth morphogenesis. These results also showed the decreased amelogenin and dentin sialophosphoprotein expressions and disrupted enamel rod and interrod formation in one- and three-week renal transplanted teeth respectively. Thus, our results suggested that
plays a modulating role during dentinogenesis and amelogenesis by regulating the expression pattern of signalling molecules to achieve the proper structural formation of hard tissue matrices and crown morphogenesis in mice molar development.
Abstract
Background
Juxtaposed with another zinc finger protein 1 (JAZF1) is associated with metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Several studies showed that JAZF1 and body ...fat mass are closely related. We attempted to elucidate the JAZF1 functions on adipose development and related metabolism using in vitro and in vivo models.
Results
The JAZF1 expression was precisely regulated during adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocyte and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Homozygous JAZF1 deletion (JAZF1-KO) resulted in impaired adipocyte differentiation in MEF. The JAZF1 role in adipocyte differentiation was demonstrated by the regulation of PPARγ—a key regulator of adipocyte differentiation. Heterozygous JAZF1 deletion (JAZF1-Het) mice fed a normal diet (ND) or a high-fat diet (HFD) had less adipose tissue mass and impaired glucose homeostasis than the control (JAZF1-Cont) mice. However, other metabolic organs, such as brown adipose tissue and liver, were negligible effect on JAZF1 deficiency.
Conclusion
Our findings emphasized the JAZF1 role in adipocyte differentiation and related metabolism through the heterozygous knockout mice. This study provides new insights into the JAZF1 function in adipose development and metabolism, informing strategies for treating obesity and related metabolic disorders.
Angiogenesis is an important biological process during development, reproduction, and in immune responses. Placental growth factor (PlGF) is a member of vascular endothelial growth factor that is ...critical for angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. We generated transgenic mice overexpressing PlGF in specifically T cells using the human CD2-promoter to investigate the effects of PlGF overexpression.
Transgenic mice were difficult to obtain owing to high lethality; for this reason, we investigated why gestational loss occurred in these transgenic mice. Here, we report that placenta detachment and inhibition of angiogenesis occurred in PlGF transgenic mice during the gestational period. Moreover, even when transgenic mice were born, their growth was restricted.
Conclusively, PlGF overexpression prevents angiogenesis by inhibiting Braf, extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation, and downregulation of HIF-1α in the mouse placenta. Furthermore, it affected regulatory T cells, which are important for maintenance of pregnancy.
PDF
