Total HC Research Articles

Impact of Photon-counting Detector Computed Tomography on a Quantitative Interstitial Lung Disease Machine Learning Model.

Compare the impact of photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) to conventional CT on an interstitial lung disease (ILD) quantitative machine learning (QML) model. A QML model analyzed 52 CT exams from patients who underwent same-day conventional and PCD-CT for suspected ILD. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) assessed agreement between conventional and PCD-CT QML results. A CCC >0.90 was regarded as excellent, 0.9 to 0.8 as good, and <0.80 as a poor concordance. Spearman rank correlation evaluated the association between pulmonary function test results (PFT) and QML features (reticulation [R], honeycombing [HC], ground glass [GG], interstitial lung disease [ILD], and vessel-related structures [VRS]). Correlations were statistically significant if the 95% CI did not include 0.00 and P value <0.05. Conventional and PCD-CT QML results had good to excellent concordance (CCC ≥0.8) except for total HC (CCC <0.8), likely related to better PCD-CT honeycombing delineation. Overall, compared with conventional CT, PCD-CT had consistently more statistically significant correlation with PFT for HC (9 PCD vs. 2 conventional of 28 total and regional associations), similar correlation for R (20 PCD vs. 18 conventional of 28 associations) and VRS (19 PCD vs. 23 conventional of 28 associations), and less correlation for GG extent (12 PCD vs. 20 conventional associations). There is strong agreement between conventional and PCD-CT QML ILD features except for HC. PCD-CT improved HC but decreased GG extent correlation with PFT. Therefore, even though most quantitative features were not impacted by the newer PCD-CT technology, model adjustment is necessary.

Identification of immunocell infiltrates and effective diagnostic biomarkers in laryngeal carcinoma.

Laryngeal cancer (LC) is a malignant tumor that occurs in the head and neck. Laryngeal cancer is one of the most common cancers of the neck and head, and its prognosis has always been poor. The incidence of LC increased gradually and showed an early rising trend. Laryngeal cancer is rarely studied in relation to immunity, Malignant tumors will change the state of the human body in various ways to adapt to their own survival and avoid the immune system. This study aims to explore the immune molecular mechanism of laryngeal cancer through bioinformatics analysis. The gene expression data was downloaded for 3 microarray datasets: GSE27020, GSE59102, and GSE51985. CIBERSORT algorithm was performed to evaluate immune cell infiltration in tissues between LC and healthy control (HC). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. Functional correlation of DEGs were analyzed by Gene Ontology, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes. Candidate biomarkers were identified by cytoHubba of Cytoscape. Spearman correlations between the above biomarkers and infiltrating immune cells were explored using R software analysis. The immune cell types of LC and HC were significantly different. Twenty-one DEGs were obtained by cross-screening. The function of DEGs is closely related to the number of immune cells. Five central genes (TNNT3, TNNI2, Desmin, matrix metallopeptidase 9 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4) were screened. The HUB gene was demonstrated to have the ability to diagnose LC and HC with good specificity and sensitivity. The correlation between immune cells and biomarkers showed that hub gene was positively correlated with macrophages and dendritic cells, and negatively correlated with CD4 + T cell. TNNT3, TNNI2, Desmin, matrix metallopeptidase 9 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 can be used as diagnostic biomarker for LC. Macrophages, dendritic cells and CD4 + T cell may participate in the occurrence and development of LC.

Effective emissions reduction of high-mileage fleets through a catalytic converter and oxygen sensor replacement program

High-mileage vehicles such as taxis make disproportionately large contributions to urban air pollution due to their accelerated engine deterioration rates and high operation intensities despite their small proportions of the total fleet. Controlling emissions from these high-mileage fleets is thus important for improving urban air quality. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a pilot repair program in reducing emissions from taxis in Hong Kong which account for about 2 % of the total licensed vehicles. The emission factors of a large sample of 684 in-service taxis (including 121 for an emission survey program and 563 for a pilot repair program) were measured on transient chassis dynamometers. The results showed that 63 % of the sampled taxis failed the driving cycle test before the pilot repair program. Most of failed taxis were NO related and 91 % of failed taxis exceeded the emission limits of at least two regulated pollutants simultaneously. After the pilot repair program by replacing catalytic converters and oxygen sensors, the failure rate was significantly reduced to only 7 %. In addition, the fleet average NO, HC and CO emission factors were reduced by 85 %, 82 % and 56 %, respectively. In addition, on-road remote sensing measurements confirmed the real-world emission reductions from the taxis that participated in the pilot repair program. These findings led to the implementation of a large-scale replacement program for all taxis in Hong Kong during 2013–2014, which was estimated to have reduced the total HC, CO and NO emissions by about 420, 2570 and 1000 t per year, respectively (equivalent to 5–8 % emission reductions from the whole road transport sector). Therefore, reducing emissions from the small high-mileage fleets is a highly cost-effective measure to improve urban air quality.

Unwanted Sexual Activity History and Relationship Status Predict Sexual Side Effects of Hormonal Contraception Use

ABSTRACT Introduction Hormonal contraceptives (HC) have both nonsexual side effects (e.g, weight gain, headaches, nausea, acne) and sexual side effects (e.g., changes in sexual desire, lubrication, and pleasure) (Smith et al., 2014). Psychosocial factors may contribute to who experiences different kinds of side effect experiences; women reporting mood side effects of HC are more likely to be unmarried, while women reporting sexual side effects tend to be younger and have more education, (Wiebe et al., 2011). However, little is known about these side effects in college-aged women, and to date limited work has examined how experiencing unwanted sexual activity history influences women's reporting of HC side effects. Objective To identify characteristics of women who report sexual vs. nonsexual side effects of hormonal contraceptive use. Methods We surveyed 818 emerging adult women (mean age 19.88, SD = 2.60) in the Southeastern and Midwestern US. Participants reported their lifetime history of HC use, mental health disorders, unwanted sexual activity, and age of sexual debut, as well as current relationship status. Those who reported ever taking HC indicated if they had ever experienced sexual effects and/or non-sexual effects from a list of 16 items. Using a multivariate general linear model with logit link, we examined predictors of reporting sexual vs. non-sexual side effects among women who reported any history of using HC. Results 543 women (66.4%) reported ever using HC. Of the women reporting lifetime HC use, 72% reported a history of any nonsexual side effect, while 28% reported experiencing a sexual side effect, (specifically, changes in sexual desire). Of the 152 women who reported changes in sexual desire, 87 (55%; 16% of total HC users) reported lower desire, while 65 (42%; 12% total HC users) reported higher desire, and 2 reported both.History of unwanted sexual activity and relationship status significantly predicted both sexual and non-sexual side effect reporting. Specifically, women who reported a history of unwanted sex were 3.04x more likely to report decreased desire with HC use, relative to women without such history. Similarly, women who were partnered were 1.86x more likely to report decreased desire, relative to single women. Increased desire was not predicted by any psychosocial factor. Neither mental health history nor age of first sexual relationship were associated with the likelihood of reporting either side effect type. Conclusions Women with a history of unwanted sexual activity were more likely to report decreased desire with HC use, suggesting that experiencing unwanted sex may influence perceptions of sexual effects of medication. Additionally, women who are dating or married are more likely to report decreased desire with HC use, contrary to previous literature. Understanding the characteristics of women who report sexual and nonsexual HC side effects may help inform patient/doctor interactions when counseling women about contraceptive use. Disclosure No

A multiparameter investigation of syngas/diesel dual-fuel engine performance and emissions with various syngas compositions

Syngas, also known as producer gas or wood gas, is a gaseous biofuel produced by gasification of biomass. It is mainly composed of hydrogen and carbon monoxide with a smaller share of methane, all diluted by nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Despite having carbon in its composition, since it is made from biomass, it is considered low to zero-carbon and being so makes it one candidate for reducing carbon emissions of internal combustion engines. This work focuses on the effect of different syngas compositions on the performance and the exhaust emissions of compression ignition engine with decane pilot injection as a diesel surrogate. Results showed that thermal efficiencies over 39% are possible with a variety of syngas with less than 10% energy contribution of decane. NOx and soot emissions were generally lowered by increasing the syngas/decane ratio, whereas CO and Total HC emissions increased. Additionally, relations between engine performance/emissions and fundamental properties of varying Syngas compositions were established. Further investigation on other combustion properties, such as stretch sensitivity of the syngas/air flame, are needed in order to better predict optimum operability.

Effects of high octane additivated gasoline fuel on Three Way Catalysts performance under an accelerated catalyst ageing procedure

The adoption of high octane rating fuels in Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines helps to improve fuel economy and thus reduce CO2 emission. However, there is scarce literature regarding the impact of additives used in high octane rating fuels on the performance and durability of the exhaust after treatment components. This work investigates the effects of using an aniline (aromatic amine) octane enhancer added to a commercial gasoline fuel on the activity of a commercial Three Way Catalytic Converter (TWC) coupled to a GDI engine. TWC’s capability in abating gaseous and particle emissions is studied for both the additivated and the baseline fuel during and after a fuel-induced accelerated catalyst ageing procedure. The accelerated catalyst ageing procedure is developed aiming to identify the impact of the engine fuel on the catalyst poisoning, while limiting catalyst thermal deactivation.CO and NO conversion efficiencies in the TWC were close to 100% under the steady-state and transient stoichiometric engine operation for both fuels during and after the catalyst ageing procedure. There was a minor decrease (generally < 10%) in the catalytic conversion efficiency of total HC for the additivated fuel, but not being significant to reflect any TWC chemical deactivation. The aniline type octane enhancer additive did not produce any detrimental effect on the TWC efficiency/performance. This investigation demonstrates that fuels being designed to promote a more efficient GDI engine operation can also enable the reduction of vehicle tailpipe CO2 and pollutant emissions through synergies with the TWC for cleaner road vehicles.

Polymer quantification using the Rock-Eval® device for identification of plastics in sediments

In this work, artificial thermal degradation experiments using the Rock-Eval® device were performed on selected polymer microsphere samples (PE, PP, PE100, PA6, PA11, PFA and PET). The main idea of this work is first to create a database of different polymer standard responses using the specific Rock-Eval® FID/IR peak signals. Several specific Rock-Eval® parameters are now defined to characterize each polymer family. For instance, each polymer is characterized by specific quantified parameters like Total HCpolymer, Total COpolymer, TotalCO2polymer, Tpeakpolymer, among others. This study attempts to demonstrate if this quick thermal degradation method can be also used to characterize the plastic contents (detection, type, and quantity) in sedimentary samples. Results indicate that each investigated polymer shows specific Rock-Eval® parameters that can be considered as useful characteristics of polymer families (mainly Tpeakpolymer, TOCpolymer, PCpolymer, RCpolymer, total HCpolymer, total COpolymer and total CO2polymer parameters). Samples containing different mineral matrices (e.g. sand, shale, marl and carbonate) were also mixed with polymers at different concentrations varying between 0.2 and 4.2 wt%. These composite samples were also analyzed in order to evaluate their thermal degradation comparing their specific Rock-Eval® FID/IR signatures. For example, most composite samples show an excellent linear correlation between TOC, PC, RC, total HC, CO and CO2 parameters versus the amount polymer at different concentrations. Although more work is still needed, a methodology is here proposed to distinguish and quantify the presence of plastics in the environment applying the proposed polymer Rock-Eval® database.

Fischer-Tropsch Diesel and Biofuels Exergy and Energy Analysis for Low Emissions Vehicles

This research investigates the effects of a synthetic diesel-like fuel (Fischer-Tropsch diesel) and biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) fuel blends on the energy-exergy efficiencies and gaseous exhaust emissions characteristics of a compression ignition engine. Two blends of alternative fuels denoted as E15B35FTD50 (15% ethanol, 35% biodiesel, and 50% Fischer-Tropsch diesel) and E15B35D50 (15% ethanol, 35% biodiesel, and 50% diesel) were experimentally studied on a single-cylinder diesel engine and compared to diesel fuel. The results show that the energetic and the exergetic efficiencies of the alternative fuels are comparable to those of the engine fueled with diesel fuel. The unburnt HC, NO, N2O, and NH3 emissions were reduced for the two alternative fuel blends compared to diesel, while CO emissions increased. The light HC species were found to slightly increase for the alternative fuel blends in comparison with diesel fuel. However, the total HC was considerably reduced by the combustion of E15B35FTD50 not only when compared to the diesel fuel combustion, but also when compared to E15B35D50. Overall, these results may contribute to identifying advantages and limitations in terms of energetic-exergetic analysis and emissions for the new generation of conventional diesel and hybrid electric vehicles that aim to achieve future emissions regulations.

An Experimental Investigation of Combustion Emissions and Diesel Engine Performance of Water in Diesel Nano Emulsion Fuel

Water in Diesel Nano-Emulsions (WiDNE) fuel are an important environmental fuelsfor decreasing the combustion pollution of diesel engines. WiDNE fuel is a dispersionstable thermodynamic and kinetic system consisting of diesel oil, surfactant and waterphase. WiDNE fuel due to their nano scale droplet size (20–200 nm) and large surface areaburns more completely and hence a reduction in emissions than straight diesel.The objective of this project is to evaluate the combustion characteristics of WiDNE fuelprepared by rotor-stator homogenizer using mixed surfactants based on nonionicemulsifiers Span™ 80, Tween™ 80. Direct injection (DI), Fiat engine was used and run at1500 rpm, constant fuel pressure (400 bar) with varying the operation load.Multi gas analyzer model 4880 was used to measure the concentration of the emissiongases such as NOx, unburned total hydrocarbon HC, CO2 and CO. The AVL-415 meter wasused for smoke emissions. The experimental results of WiDNE imposes the capability toimprove fuel properties, the engine efficiency as well as reduction of gas emissions.

Sensitivity of pollutants abatement in oxidation catalysts to the use of alternative fuels

The aim to reduce well to wheel CO2 emissions incentives the utilisation of alternative fuels (low to zero carbon content and/or low well to tank CO2 emissions) as well as the enhancement of engine efficiency. In parallel, the reduction of engine tailpipe CO2 emissions brings new challenges such as the decrease of the exhaust gas temperature. This trend penalises the ability of the exhaust aftertreatment system to eliminate pollutant emissions. In addition, the combustion of alternative fuels and new combustion modes induce changes in the nature and concentration of the exhaust species, which is known to affect the pollutants abatement mechanisms. This investigation provides new understanding on the sensitivity of pollutants abatement in oxidation catalysts to the use of alternative fuels. The studied fuels are conventional diesel, alternative fuels (rapeseed methyl ester and gas to liquid) as well as propane using a dual-fuel combustion strategy. The research combines experimental conversion efficiency from genuine exhaust gases with modelling work useful to explain the reasons for the change in light-off temperature as a function of the fuel. In addition to the CO and NO impact, HC surrogates are proposed distinguishing species of different reactivity for each fuel based on the experimental HC speciation. The results highlight the role of the engine-out emissions on the pollutants conversion efficiency. Their fashion with different fuels contributes to evidence the interest for low engine-out emissions along with low light alkanes content in total HC, as promoted by alternative fuels, to reduce the oxidation light-off temperature.

Spatial–Temporal Distribution Characteristics of Emission and Diffusion of Vehicular Pollutants: A Case Study of Expressway Network in Jiangsu Province

To address the growing pollution problem of vehicle exhaust on expressways, a calculation method for the emission and diffusion of vehicular pollutants in expressway network of Jiangsu province was proposed based on the emission inventory of road vehicular pollutants and the CALINE-4 diffusion model. The characteristics of the spatial-temporal distribution were analyzed. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) In the province's expressway network with various vehicle styles and structures, the largest contributor of CO and HC emissions was Coach Model Ⅰ, contributing 41.26% and 44.32%, respectively; the largest contributor of NOx and PM2.5 emissions was Truck Model Ⅴ, contributing 33.32% and 32.52%, respectively. (2) From the vehicle emission level, for Coach Model Ⅰ, the contribution rate of the national stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ vehicle emission standards to the total CO and HC emissions reached 73.56% and 62.05%, respectively; for Truck Models Ⅳ and Ⅴ, the contribution rate of the national stage Ⅲ vehicle emission standard to the total NOx and PM2.5 emissions reached 58.73% and 63.25%, respectively. (3) Except for NOx, the diffusion concentration of vehicular pollutants (CO, PM2.5, and PM10) in each section of the predicted points was lower than the 1-hour average limiting value taken as Grade Ⅱ on the basis of the Ambient Air Quality Standards (GB3095-2012), which is 10 mg/m3, 75 μg/m3, and 150 μg/m3. (4) From the temporal distribution, the amount of various pollutants showed a double-hump trend, which occurred at 9-10 a.m. and 2-3 p.m. The hourly diffusion concentration of various pollutants in all sections of the province was higher at night (10 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next day) than in the daytime. The proportion of sections exceeding the limit of NOx diffusion concentrations at night was as high as 75.2%, reaching the peak value at 2-3 a.m. (5) From the spatial distribution, the total CO and HC emissions in the North Network were less than that in the South Network, and the NOx, PM2.5, and PM10 emissions in the North Network were higher than those in the South Network, while the emission intensity of all kinds of pollutants in the North Network was significantly higher than that in the South Network. The 1-hour average NOx concentration in Northern Jiangsu was higher than that in Southern Jiangsu and Middle Jiangsu, with the maximum value of all periods of the day appearing in the section of 'Duanzhai Hub-Xinyi Dong' and the minimum value mainly distributing in Middle Jiangsu.

Environmental pollution control emitted from diesel engines by Al2O3 nanoparticles

One of the most important problems for diesel engines is the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and smoke, the use of emulsification technology is one of the most influential ways to control this emissions. In this present work Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) are blended by rotary-stator homogenizer at three different levels (50,100,150 ppm) with prepared Nano-emulsion at optimum composition and circumstances that are analyzed experimentally by Design Expert software. Alumina nanoparticle with its high thermal conductivity (30−1 Wm K−1 compare to diesel and high calorific value which helps to promote more internal combustion due to making higher thermal efficiency. Direct injection (DI), water cooled four cylinders, in-line, natural aspirated Fiat diesel engine was used and run at a constant speed (1500 rpm) and constant fuel injection pressure (400 bars) with varying the operation load. Multigas analyzer model 4880 was used to measure the concentration of the emission gases such as NOx, unburned total hydrocarbon HC, CO2 and CO. The engine exhaust smoke emissions were measured using the AVL-415 smoke meter. Based on these observations, the rate of CO and NOx would be reduced significantly up to 24 and 5.8 %, at 150ppm to net diesel respectively, noting that the net smoke of diesel would undergo the highest change (up to 26.5 %). The results also indicate a 6.97 % fuel consumption reduction accompanied with 6.2 % improvement in the thermal efficiency, utilizing Al2O3 nanoparticles in blended in Nano-emulsion. Enhancement in break thermal efficiency (BTE), reduction in (NOx) and smoke are noticed after mixing Al2O3 into prepared nano-emulsion.

Origin of organic matter and hydrocarbon potential of Permian Gondwana coaly shales intercalated in coals/sands of the Barapukuria basin, Bangladesh

This paper presents the characteristics of source organic matter (OM), hydrocarbon potential (HC) and the depositional system of Gondwana coaly shales in the Carboniferous-Permian succession in drill hole GDH-40, Barapukuria basin, Bangladesh. Twelve layers intercalated in coals and sands were examined using Hydrogen Index (HI) of Rock Eval analysis, biomarkers in saturated HC fractions, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and stable carbon (δ13Corg) and nitrogen (δ15Ntot) isotope ratios. The coaly shales showed a wide range of total organic carbon (TOC) content (2.3–30.3 wt%), intermediate to high TOC/TN ratios (14–39) and low total sulfur (TS) contents (<0.3 wt%), suggesting deposition in a freshwater environment occasionally influenced by brackish water. OMs with low to moderate HI (20–204 mg HC/g TOC) were deposited in a shallow terrestrial basin. The HC potentials are high in the middle and lower parts of the succession, with increasing TOC content dominated by terrestrial plants. The higher total HC generation potential up to 60.1 mg HC/g is attributed to coaction of high TOC and HI values. The HI values show good positive correlations with Pr/Ph ratios (r = 0.90), n-C>25/n-Ctotal alkanes (r = 0.86), phenanthrene (r = 0.75), methylphenanthrene (MP, r = 0.75), Tm/Ts (r = 0.74), sterane C29/C(27+28+29) (r = 0.69), Pr/n-C17 ratio (r = 0.69) and TS (r = 0.68). The coaly shales also contain abundant retene. Higher δ15N ratios coupled with high HI values suggest that the climate had a dry season. Very small amounts of oleanane and low ratios of oleanane/C30-hopane show negative correlations with HI values (r = −0.68). A significant input of algae and/or planktonic organisms occurred in the upper part of the core, estimated based on regular sterane compositions, but this did not increase the HI values. Relatively abundant hopanes (steranes/hopanes = 0.11–0.40) implied greater contribution of methanogen in the upper part of the succession and increased activity of aerobic bacteria in the middle to lower parts, respectively. Organic maturity is considered to be in the early to medium stage of oil generation, according to C29 sterane 20S/(20S + 20R) ratios of 0.28–0.49. Based on these results, most OMs originated from ferns, pteridospermic gymnosperms, peat mosses and/or submerged/floating plants, occasionally supplemented by a specific gymnosperm OM with epicuticular wax. Potential of HC generation of these coaly shales probably increased with increasing deposition of liptinite materials. Fluoranthene (Fla), pyrene (Py), benzo[e]pyrene (BePy) and benzo[bjk]fluoranthene (Bflas) are abundant PAHs in the coaly shales, and the ratios of low Fla./Py, benzo[a]anthracene (BaAn)/228 and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene/(indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene + benzo[ghi]perylene) (InPy/(InPy + BghiP)) suggest that these 4- to 6-ring PAHs were mainly formed by small- to medium-scale wildfires during the dry season.

Impact of antiepileptic-drug treatment burden on health-care-resource utilization and costs.

BackgroundComplex titration requirements and dosing of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may pose a significant treatment burden for patients with epilepsy. This study evaluated health-care-resource utilization (HCRU) rates and costs by treatment burden, defined as number of daily pills and dosing frequency, among managed-care enrollees with epilepsy who initiated AED monotherapy.MethodsThis retrospective longitudinal study examined administrative HC-claim data in patients aged ≥18 years with two or more pharmacy claims for an AED and two or more medical claims for epilepsy or afebrile convulsion. The number of daily AED pills was estimated at index as the total number of pills dispensed divided by the days supplied, and categorized as more than zero/one, one/two, two/three, and more than three per day. AED-dosing frequency was measured at index and categorized as one, two, three, or four times daily. Postindex 12-month all-cause and epilepsy-related HCRU and costs were estimated using multivariable Poisson regression models and generalized linear models, respectively.ResultsUnadjusted total all-cause and epilepsy-related costs at 12 months postindex averaged US$26,015 per person and US$5,557 per person (2017 values), respectively. Adjusted all-cause and epilepsy-related costs were US$25,918 per person and US$5,602 per person, respectively. A pill burden of more than three a day was associated with a 6.7% increase in total annual HC costs compared with one pill/day. Patients receiving one/two, two/three, and more than three pills per day had 13.3%, 23.9%, and 38.3% higher epilepsy-related costs, respectively, than those receiving one pill per day (P<0.0001). Increase in dosing frequency was associated with greater total HCRU and higher costs, but only patients with twice-daily dosing had significantly higher epilepsy-related costs.ConclusionFindings from this study suggest that increased treatment burden is associated with greater HCRU and higher overall and epilepsy-related costs. Reducing treatment burden via selection of AED therapy with reduced pill numbers and dosing frequency should be considered to improve health and economic outcomes.

Presence of Autoantibodies in Erosive Hand Osteoarthritis and Association with Clinical Presentation.

To investigate whether 3 rheumatoid arthritis-associated antibodies [rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) or anticarbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies] are present in hand osteoarthritis (HOA) and associate with erosive OA (EOA). Anti-CarP IgG was measured by ELISA in baseline sera of patients with HOA from 3 cohorts: HOSTAS (n = 510, 27.2% EOA), ECHO (n = 47), and EHOA (n = 23), and in sera of healthy controls (HC; n = 196, mean age 44.1 yrs, 51.0% women). Moreover, ACPA-IgG and RF-IgM were additionally determined in HOSTAS and HC. The prevalence of autoantibodies was compared between HOA and HC and between erosive and nonerosive HOA. In HOSTAS, hand radiographs were scored (Kellgren-Lawrence, Osteoarthritis Research Society International osteophyte and joint space narrowing) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, representing inflammation, were assessed. Groups were compared using nonparametric tests. The prevalence of anti-CarP was low and not significantly different between the total HOA group and HC (6.6% vs 3.6%, p = 0.12). In HOSTAS, the prevalence of all tested autoantibodies was low (anti-CarP 7.1%, ACPA 0.8%, RF 6.1%), and there were no significant differences observed between HOA patients and HC or between erosive and nonerosive HOA. Further, radiographic damage and CRP levels were similar in anti-CarP+ and anti-CarP-, and RF+ and RF- HOSTAS patients. The prevalence of autoantibodies is similar in HOA patients and HC, and these autoantibodies are not associated with erosive disease, structural damage, or inflammation in patients with HOA, indicating that another mechanism is driving erosive disease.

Vehicle Exhaust Emission Characteristics and Their Contributions in Jiangsu Province

An hourly vehicular emission inventory with 1 km×1 km resolution was developed for Jiangsu Province in 2015, using the COPERT model and ArcGIS technology. The improved "standard road length" method, as well as road network information and monthly, weekly, and daily variations of the congestion delay index were used to increase temporal-spatial resolution. The contributions of different vehicle types, emission standards, and road types to total vehicular emissions were analyzed. Results showed that vehicular emissions of NOx, HC, CO, PM2.5, SO2, OM, and BC were 490.9, 166.3, 1614.8, 16.9, 1.9, 3.6, and 6.7 thousand tons, respectively. On average, Suzhou and Xuzhou contributed 34%-45% of the total. Evaporative emissions of HC were 20.2 thousand tons, accounting for 12% of total HC emissions. Small passenger cars and motorcycles were the major HC and CO contributors, accounting for over 30% of total emissions. Heavy-duty diesel trucks contributed 36%-54% to NOx, PM2.5, SO2, OM, and BC emissions, representing much higher emissions than other vehicles. Heavy-duty and medium-duty diesel trucks in Suzhou and Xuzhou are the main sources of NOx and PM2.5emissions. China Ⅲ diesel vehicles account for the largest share (42%-55%) of NOx, PM2.5, SO2, and BC emissions. China Ⅲ heavy-duty diesel trucks and China 0 medium-duty diesel trucks are the primary and secondary contributors of NOx, PM2.5, OM, and BC emissions, with a total share of 40%-56%. China 0 motorcycles contributed about 16% to total HC and CO.

Neat polyoxymethylene dimethyl ether in a diesel engine; part 2: Exhaust emission analysis

Oxygenated fuels have already shown potential to be used in Diesel engines without major modifications. Polyoxymethylene dimethyl ether (POMDME, short OME) possesses particular characteristics (i.e. no CC bonds, high cetane number, high potential to reduce greenhouse gases when produced with renewable energy, etc.), which are favourable for combustion in a standard Diesel engine, and offer the possibility to overcome the classical NOx-PM trade off. In order to capture the full potential of this fuel, its combustion characteristics under diesel engine conditions need to be investigated.In the present work, as the second of a two-part paper, the gaseous and particulate emissions of neat OME in a composition of approximately 80% OME3 and 20% OME4 have been studied. Numerous operating conditions have been recorded under globally stoichiometric conditions with simultaneously high EGR rates to evaluate the engine operation, suitable for a three-way catalyst. For the measurement campaign, a heavy duty single cylinder research engine has been used. In addition to standard exhaust gas measurement equipment, emissions have been recorded through fast mass spectrometer calibrated for methane, a particle spectrometer and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the solid particles.It is observed that CO and HC show an extreme spike in globally stoichiometric operation. Furthermore, the total HC emissions contain a substantial amount of methane. NOx emissions within the recorded operating conditions show a strong dependence on the applied EGR rate. The particle emissions using OME show high number (compared to the corresponding Diesel case in agglomeration mode) in a size range mainly below 20 nm. TEM imaging combined with an energy dispersive X-ray system revealed that these particles are mostly soot with a few nanometers large metal inclusions.

Atmospheric emission inventory of multiple pollutants from civil aviation in China: Temporal trend, spatial distribution characteristics and emission features analysis

A detailed comprehensive emission inventory of multiple air pollutants from civil aviation in China for the historical period of 1980–2015 is developed by using an approach of combining bottom-up with top-down for the first time. Annual emissions of various pollutants present a rapidly ascending trend along with the increase of economic volume and population, which are estimated at approximately 4.77 kt HC, 59.63 kt CO, 304.77 kt NOx, 59,961 kt CO2, 19.04 kt SO2, 3.32 kt PM2.5, 1.59 kt BC, 1.06 kt OC and 5.44 t heavy metals (HMs), respectively, by the year 2015. We estimate the local emissions in 208 domestic civil airports and allocate the total cruise emissions onto 299 main domestic flight segments with surrogate indexes, such as route distance, cargo and passenger turnover. The results demonstrate that emission intensities in central and eastern China are much higher than those in northeastern and western China, and these regions are characterized with high population density, huge economy volume, as well as transit convenience. Furthermore, we have explored emission characteristics of multiple pollutants under different operation modes in 2015. For PM2.5, SO2/CO2/HMs and NOx, the emissions from cruise process constitute the dominant contributor with a share of 89%, 92% and 81%, of the associated total emissions, respectively, comparing with 76% and 71% of the total CO and HC emissions release from Landing and Take-off (LTO) process. Consequently, there are notably different emission characteristics from different flight processes due to various combustion status of aviation fuel. In addition, we predict the future trends of multi-pollutants emissions from China's civil aviation industry through 2050 under three scenarios, and the results indicate that the reduction from the improvement of new technology or new national standards would be largely offset by the rise in multi-pollutants emissions from rapidly aviation fuel growth.

Risk modeling in prospective diabetes studies: Association and predictive value of anthropometrics

AimsThis study aimed to introduce and apply modern statistical techniques for assessing association and predictive value of risk factors in first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with diabetes from repeatedly measured diabetes data. MethodsWe used data from 1319 FDR’s of patients with diabetes followed for 8 years. Association and predictive performance of weight (Wt), body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences (WC and HC) and their ratio (WHR), waist-height ratio (WHtR) and a body shape index (ABSI) in relation to future diabetes were evaluated by using Cox regression and joint longitudinal-survival modeling. ResultsAccording to Cox regression, in total sample, WC, HC, Wt, WHtR and BMI had significant direct association with diabetes (all p < 0.01) with the best predictive ability for WHtR (concordance probability estimate = 0.575). Joint modeling suggested direct associations between diabetes and WC, WHR, Wt, WHtR and BMI in total sample (all p < 0.05). According to LPML criterion, WHtR was the best predictor in both total sample and females with LPML of −2666.27 and −2185.67, respectively. However, according to AUC criteria, BMI had the best predictive performance with AUC-JM = 0.7629 and dAUC-JM = 0.5883 in total sample. In females, both AUC criteria indicated that WC was the best predictor followed by WHtR. ConclusionWC, WHR, Wt, WHtR and BMI are among candidate anthropometric measures to be monitored in diabetes prevention programs. Larger multi-ethnic and multivariate research are warranted to assess interactions and identify the best predictors in subgroups.

Gait pattern in patients with different multiple sclerosis phenotypes

BackgroundGait pattern is frequently impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS), however gait characteristics in patients with different MS phenotypes have not been fully elucidated. MethodsWe analyzed spatio-temporal gait pattern characteristics in patients with relapsing-remitting (RR, n=52) and primary-progressive (PP, n=18) MS in comparison with age-matched healthy controls (HC, n=40). All subjects performed a standardized simple walking task, a dual motor- motor task, a dual motor-mental task, and a triple combined motor-mental task at a GAITRite electronic walkway of 5.5m active area. We measured: cycle time (CT), stride length (SL), swing time (ST), double support time (DST), gait velocity (GV) and calculated symmetry index (SI) for CT, SL and ST. ResultsWith each task performed, CT and DST in the total MS group were significantly longer while SL was significantly shorter and GV significantly lower than in HC. ST was similar in the total MS patient group and HC. In both MS patients and HC, CT and DST increased and SL and GV decreased over repeated assessments. Dual and triple tasks while walking influenced walking performance in both MS patients and HC. Although patients with PPMS differed significantly from those with RRMS in the majority of gait parameters, the subgroup analysis in patients matched for age and disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale Score -EDSS, 3.0–5.0) showed similar gait performance in RRMS and PPMS patients having the same level of disability, except for CT and ST- symmetry parameters that were more impaired in the PPMS group. The EDSS score correlated significantly with CT, DST, SL and GV, but no significant correlation was found with ST except at the triple combined motor-mental task. ConclusionA disturbed gait pattern in MS patients with different MS phenotypes depends on disability and reflects a cognitive-motor interference.