Ferro-coke is prepared by the slight coking of coal and iron ore. It is a new type of fuel used for blast furnace ironmaking for the purpose of energy saving and emission reduction. However, with the ...increase of iron ore content, the metallurgical properties of ferro-coke gradually deteriorate. To fabricate high-strength ferro-coke, coal tar pitch was used as a binder in this study. The microstructure, cold drum strength, thermal crushing strength, gasification reactivity and gasification kinetics of this modified ferro-coke were systematically studied and compared with those of gas-coal coke and ferro-coke without binder. The results showed that the coal tar pitch could reduce the porosity of ferro-coke by 4.57 pct, enhance the adhesion of carbon matrix to minerals and increase the microcrystalline structure of ferro-coke. The cold drum strength of ferro-coke increased from 28.04 to 86.34 pct after adding coal tar pitch, while the thermal strength of ferro-coke during the gasification process rose by only 100 N. The coal tar pitch had little effect on the gasification reactivity of ferro-coke, so the activation energy of modified ferro-coke was still low. The first-principle calculation results revealed that the promotion of Fe on the ferro-coke gasification was attributed to the reducing role of Fe on the reaction energy of ketone group decomposition.
Ferro-coke, as a new burden of blast furnace (BF), can not only greatly reduce the energy consumption and CO
emission, but also promote the resource utilization by using the low-quality iron ore and ...low-grade coal. However, the strength of ferro-coke decreased with the increasing amount of iron ore powder. In order to maintain the strength of ferro-coke while increasing the amount of iron ore powder, it is necessary to add binder during the coking process to enhance the strength of ferro-coke. In this paper, phenolic resin, silicon metal powder, corn starch, and coal tar pitch were used as binder for the fabrication of ferro-coke. I-type drum machine (I 600), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were applied to test the crushing strength, morphology, and microcrystalline structure of the ferro-coke. The results showed that the increasing amount of iron ore powder resulted in lower crushing strength, higher porosity, and the worse macroscopic morphology of ferro-coke. When the amount of iron ore powder reached 40%, obvious cracks appeared on the surface of ferro-coke. When the amount of iron ore was 30%, the crushing strength of ferro-coke dropped to 18.15%. Among the four binders, coal tar pitch could significantly enhance the cold crushing strength of ferro-coke through decreasing the porosity of ferro-coke and improving the bonding effect between carbon matrix particles. In the case of the 10% coal tar pitch addition, the cold crushing strength of ferro-coke was increased from 18.15% to 76.41%; meanwhile, its hot compression strength during gasification improved by 100N.
There is increasing evidence that HFpEF is a heterogeneous clinical entity and distinct molecular pathways may contribute to pathophysiology. Leveraging unbiased proteomics to identify novel ...biomarkers, this study seeks to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of HFpEF. The discovery cohort consisted of HFpEF cases and non-HF controls from the CATHGEN study (N = 176); the validation cohort consisted of participants from the TECOS trial of patients with diabetes (N = 109). Proteins associated with HFpEF were included in a LASSO model to create a discriminative multi-protein model and assessed in the validation cohort. Survival models and meta-analysis were used to test the association of proteins with incident clinical outcomes, including HF hospitalization, mortality and HFpEF hospitalization in CATHGEN, TECOS and the Jackson Heart Study. In the derivation set, 190 proteins were associated with HFpEF in univariate analysis, of which 65 remained significant in the multivariate model. Twenty (30.8%) of these proteins validated in TECOS, including LCN2, U-PAR, IL-1ra, KIM1, CSTB and Gal-9 (OR 1.93-2.77, p < 0.01). LASSO regression yielded a 13-protein model which, when added to a clinical model inclusive of NT-proBNP, improved the AUC from 0.82 to 0.92 (p = 1.5 × 10
). Five proteins were associated with incident HF hospitalization, four with HFpEF hospitalization and eleven with mortality (p < 0.05). We identified and validated multiple circulating biomarkers associated with HFpEF as well as HF outcomes. These biomarkers added incremental discriminative capabilities beyond clinical factors and NT-proBNP.
Regular exercise leads to widespread salutary effects, and there is increasing recognition that exercise-stimulated circulating proteins can impart health benefits. Despite this, limited data exist ...regarding the plasma proteomic changes that occur in response to regular exercise. Here, we perform large-scale plasma proteomic profiling in 654 healthy human study participants before and after a supervised, 20-week endurance exercise training intervention. We identify hundreds of circulating proteins that are modulated, many of which are known to be secreted. We highlight proteins involved in angiogenesis, iron homeostasis, and the extracellular matrix, many of which are novel, including training-induced increases in fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a membrane-bound and circulating protein relevant in body-composition homeostasis. We relate protein changes to training-induced maximal oxygen uptake adaptations and validate our top findings in an external exercise cohort. Furthermore, we show that FAP is positively associated with survival in 3 separate, population-based cohorts.
Abstract
Context
Thyroid hormones play an important role in metabolic homeostasis, and higher levels have been associated with cardiometabolic risk.
Objective
To examine the association of ...cardiometabolic risk factors with TSH levels in US youth.
Methods
Cross-sectional study of youth aged 12 to 18 years without known thyroid abnormalities from 5 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles (n = 2818) representing 15.4 million US children. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) was defined as thyrotropin (TSH) levels of 4.5 to 10 mIU/L. Assessed cardiometabolic risk factors include abdominal obesity (waist circumference >90th percentile), hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride ≥130 mg/dL), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (<40 mg/dL), elevated blood pressure (systolic and diastolic blood pressure ≥90th percentile), hyperglycemia (fasting blood glucose ≥100 mg/dL, or known diabetes), insulin resistance (homeostatic model for insulin resistance > 3.16), and elevated alanine transferase (≥ 50 for boys and ≥44 U/L for girls). Age and sex- specific percentiles for thyroid parameters were calculated.
Results
In this cohort of youth (51.3% male), 31.2% had overweight/obesity. The prevalence of SH was 2.0% (95% CI 1.2-3.1). The median TSH levels were higher in youth with overweight/obesity (P < 0.001). Adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and obesity, youth with TSH in the fourth quantile had higher odds of abdominal obesity (OR 2.53 1.43-4.46, P = .002), insulin resistance (OR 2.82 1.42-5.57, P = .003), and ≥2 cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) (OR 2.20 1.23-3.95, P = .009).
Conclusion
The prevalence of SH is low in US youth. The higher odds of insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors in youth with TSH levels >75th percentile requires further study.
Alkali metal circulation enrichment occurs in blast furnaces, which is harmful to the blast furnace. The amount of enrichment helps to quantify the effect of alkali metals on blast furnace ...production, but it is not possible to directly measure the actual alkali metal enrichment in blast furnaces for technical reasons. On the basis of a thermodynamic model, FactSage was used to calculate the effects of alkali loading, slag basicity, MgO content in the slag and Al
2
O
3
content in the slag on the alkali metal enrichment in the blast furnace. Quantitative relationships among various factors and the enrichment were obtained, and the degree of influence of various factors on the amount of enrichment was determined. The basicity B
2
of the slag was the key factor for enrichment. With an increase in the slag basicity of 0.1, the enrichment of K and Na increased by 5.3 and 1.6 kg/tHM, respectively.
High‐reactivity coke can improve the reaction efficiency in a blast furnace, hence reducing CO2 emission. Herein, traditional coke sample (QM), normal ferrocoke sample (TJ), and modified ferrocoke ...sample (LQ) are examined. The effect of water vapor on the gasification behaviors and structural evolution of the samples are investigated. Furthermore, the 3D structures of the coke matrix and iron particles are reconstructed by serial sectioning method. The results show that under a pure CO2 atmosphere, the TJ and LQ samples start the gasification reaction earlier than the QM sample. The TJ sample shows the highest reactivity. Under CO2 + H2O atmosphere, the conversion rate of TJ and LQ samples is slowed. The reoxidation of the metallic iron within the ferrocoke is found for the first time during gasification and causes this phenomenon. Under experimental conditions, when water vapor appears in the atmosphere, the product layer of ferrocoke becomes more porous, and the iron particles have higher possibilities to be oxidized by CO2.
The reoxidation of metallic iron within the ferrocoke is found for the first time during gasification. When water vapor appears in the atmosphere, the product layer of ferrocoke becomes more porous, and the iron particles have higher possibilities to be oxidized by CO2. The oxidation of the reduced iron experiences several stages.
Racial differences in metabolomic profiles may reflect underlying differences in social determinants of health by self-reported race and may be related to racial disparities in coronary heart disease ...(CHD) among women in the United States. However, the magnitude of differences in metabolomic profiles between Black and White women in the United States has not been well-described. It also remains unknown whether such differences are related to differences in CHD risk.
Plasma metabolomic profiles were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in the WHI-OS (Women's Health Initiative-Observational Study; 138 Black and 696 White women), WHI-HT trials (WHI-Hormone Therapy; 156 Black and 1138 White women), MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis; 114 Black and 219 White women), JHS (Jackson Heart Study; 1465 Black women with 107 incident CHD cases), and NHS (Nurses' Health Study; 2506 White women with 136 incident CHD cases). First, linear regression models were used to estimate associations between self-reported race and 472 metabolites in WHI-OS (discovery); findings were replicated in WHI-HT and validated in MESA. Second, we used elastic net regression to construct a racial difference metabolomic pattern (RDMP) representing differences in the metabolomic patterns between Black and White women in the WHI-OS; the RDMP was validated in the WHI-HT and MESA. Third, using conditional logistic regressions in the WHI (717 CHD cases and 719 matched controls), we examined associations of metabolites with large differences in levels by race and the RDMP with risk of CHD, and the results were replicated in Black women from the JHS and White women from the NHS.
Of the 472 tested metabolites, levels of 259 (54.9%) metabolites, mostly lipid metabolites and amino acids, significantly differed between Black and White women in both WHI-OS and WHI-HT after adjusting for baseline characteristics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, baseline health conditions, and medication use (false discovery rate <0.05); similar trends were observed in MESA. The RDMP, composed of 152 metabolites, was identified in the WHI-OS and showed significantly different distributions between Black and White women in the WHI-HT and MESA. Higher RDMP quartiles were associated with an increased risk of incident CHD (odds ratio=1.51 0.97-2.37 for the highest quartile comparing to the lowest;
=0.02), independent of self-reported race and known CHD risk factors. In race-stratified analyses, the RDMP-CHD associations were more pronounced in White women. Similar patterns were observed in Black women from the JHS and White women from the NHS.
Metabolomic profiles significantly and substantially differ between Black and White women and may be associated with CHD risk and racial disparities in US women.
This study shows that only 12.5% of laboratory reports (2/16) included age-appropriate pediatric reference ranges for all lipid and lipoproteins. The use of erroneous reference range(s) could lead to ...missed alerts of dyslipidemia in up to 97.3% (total cholesterol), 93.6% (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), 94.8% (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and 87.8% (triglycerides) of youth in the population-based National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cohort. These findings highlight the potential missed opportunities for reinforcing lifestyle counseling for dyslipidemia in addition to obesity in youth.
Abstract
Introduction: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is defined as elevated TSH with normal thyroid levels, and is often associated with obesity. SH has been linked to cardiometabolic risk factors ...such as abnormal lipids, elevated blood pressure, atherosclerosis and fatty liver. This study sought to elucidate the association of TSH level with the components of metabolic syndrome independent of BMI in children from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Methods: NHANES surveys 1999-01 and 2007-12 that measured thyroid function tests were included in the study. Youth aged 2-18 years with TSH levels < 10 uU/mL and normal Total T4 (TT4) levels were included in the analysis. The components of metabolic syndrome were defined as abdominal obesity (waist circumference > 95th %tile), hypertriglyceridemia (TG >=100 for 0-9 years and >=130 mg/dL for > 10 years), low HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dL), elevated blood pressure (> 95th %tile for age/sex/height) and hyperglycemia (FBG > 100 mg/dL, or diagnosis of diabetes). The association of these components with quartiles of TSH were examined by logistic and linear regression controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity and BMI. All analyses were performed in R v3.5.1.
Results: After excluding youth with TSH >10 uU/mL and TT4 levels < 12.4 mcg/dL, 2377 subjects (50% female) were included in the study. The mean age of the cohort was 15 ± 1.7 years; 28.2 % were non-hispanic whites and 38.5 % hispanic/latino. Obesity (BMI >95 %tile) was seen in 21.7% individuals. There were 44 subjects with TSH levels >4.5 uU/mL that was not different by BMI (2.5% in BMI >95%tile and 1.7% BMI < 95%tile, p = 0.29). Based on the distribution in the population, TSH levels were divided into 4 quartiles: Q1= 0.01-0.97, Q2= 0.98-1.42, Q3=1.43-2.0, Q4 = > 2.01 uU/mL. A statistically significant association of the Q4 TSH was seen with abdominal obesity, OR 2.44 (1.38-4.39), p=0.002 and elevated BP, OR 1.6 (1.06-2.44), p = 0.02 but not with high TG, OR 1.58 (0.93-2.75), p=0.09, low HDL, OR 0.84 (0.6-1.17), p = 0.31 or those with hyperglycemia and/or diabetes, OR = 1.25 (0.78-2.05), p = 0.36. Linear regression models showed statistically significant association of abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, elevated BP and hyperglycemia (and/or diabetes) with increase in TSH level.
Conclusions: In children from a representative US population, the prevalence of SH defined as TSH level >4.5 uU/mL is low, even with BMI >95th %tile. The association of measures of metabolic syndrome with linear increase in TSH suggests that the current reference range may require modification.
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