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Purpose To investigate the features of 18F-Fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in differentiating synchronous multiple primary lung cancers (sMPLC) from intropulmonary metastasis (IM). Material and Methods Fifty-nine patients with two synchronous primary lung cancers were selected and 23 lung cancer patients with an additional solitary IM cancer were chosen as the control group between January 2009 and January 2019. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) on PET/CT was determined for each tumor. The SUVmax ratio between the two tumors was determined and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance. Results The difference of SUVmax ratio between sMPLC (2.3 ± 1.6) and IM (1.5 ± 0.4) was significant, p Conclusion The SUVmax ratio between two tumors may be helpful in differentiating sMPLC from IM, independent studies with bigger size were needed to further confirm the findings.

Older people are very likely to experience transitions among spaces with different temperatures in daily life. But little has been known about their thermal comfort and physiological responses to these temperature steps. This study investigated 18 healthy older people's thermal perceptions and physiological parameters under cold and warm exposures with 3/5/6 °C temperature steps. The results showed that subjects' thermal sensation was sensitive to all moderate temperature steps, but their thermal comfort perception could only distinguish temperature changes greater than 5 °C. Thermal unacceptability was only observed when subjects' tympanic temperature reached at 37.08 °C. Also, we found older people need more than 50 min time to get their mean skin temperature steady after cold stimuli, while they only need

Well-designed multi-energy conversion systems have the potential to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Based on the literature review and the typical energy flow network of multi-energy conversion systems, the necessity of stakeholders' taking part in multi-energy projects have been emphasized. Considering of different stakeholders have different interest demand and theirs' decision-making behaviors interact with each other, both the final results and decision process are important for stakeholders in multi-energy system planning. Game analysis, which is an analysis method for the conveying scheme evolution in different situations, was proposed to descript the complex relationship between stakeholders' profits and technical schemes. A hierarchical game playing scheme and a simplified multi-energy system optimization method were put forward to assist stakeholders to participate in techno-economic analysis process. Annual equivalent full capacity operation time and hourly earnings of each energy conversion technology are used to calculate returns on investment. The total revenues and every stakeholders' economic returns in different situations (energy price) and technical proposals can be acquired and compared. The proposed method is also illustrated and verified along with a case study. Results indicated that all parties can make contingent decisions under multi-partner negotiation with the assist of game analysis method.

This paper and its future companion papers, were aimed to develop a set of efficient and accurate enough modular tools to build a simulation test bed for the stability analysis of interacting VAV (variable air volume air-conditioning system) control loops. By providing the correlation equations between the heat flow and temperature of the two opposite surfaces, the wall model was expected to link adjacent zones effectively and efficiently. In part 1, the development of an optimal simplified 3R2C (composed of three resistances and two capacitances) thermal network model of building envelope, i.e., the wall model, was descripted. The verification showed that the simplification of one-dimensional heat conduction through a typical wall of heavy construction was acceptable. The accuracy of the optimal simplified 3R2Cmodel was satisfying, and outperformed that of the optimal 4R3C model as well as two 3R2C models which were normally used in practical applications. First and foremost, the room dimensions of the test bed with the boundary conditions in numerical scheme were designed under the principle of similarity. After validation of the numerical scheme with the high-cited scaled experiment, a series of numerical test cases simulating the potential oscillations in practical applications, were conducted. Then, the long neglected concerned frequency range within which heat flow transfer through extern wall, was determined. Finally, the part of solid wall was separated with the part of indoor air, and was developed into a flexible wall module of 3R2C model based on frequency domain regression.

Investigating the relationship between the performance of an integrated energy system (IES) and each influencing factor as well as directly calculating IES efficiency based on relevant parameters are of substantial importance to energy saving. To make the research results applicable to various IES, a typical integrated energy system (TIES) which includes typical energy conversion technologies is proposed. After building energy demands and energy conversion processes in TIES are abstracted and simplified by a typical energy flow map, a dimensionless equation for calculating TIES energy and exergy efficiency is developed. Based on the partial derivatives analysis of TIES’s energy and exergy efficiency dimensionless equation, the effects of technological level, demand structure, local renewable energy utilization and IES configuration on energy and exergy efficiency are clarified. Combined with a case study, the usability of the parameter analysis method for IES has been illustrated. The departure phenomenon of energetic and exergetic analysis results in IES are also introduced. Furtherly, we indicate that without proper definition of benchmark environment, it is easy to give perplexing results with an exergetic analysis about IES.

Community energy system optimization model has great contribution to formulate community energy planning indexes. But an inappropriate response of uncertainty always makes such “optimal plan” work ended in nothing. It is still a herculean task to solve a hybrid programming model which contains stochastic and fuzzy parameters. In order to acquire more flexible and reliable energy planning indicators in a convenient way, a goal programming based model system (GPMS) is proposed to conduct dynamic variation analysis of community energy flow. GPMS contains general linear programming model, goal programming model and grey relational degree model for results analysis. General linear programming model is used to calculate optimal community energy flow on baseline situation. Deviational variables associated with each independent parameter and total fossil energy consumption (TFEC) are introduced in goal programming model. Many kinds of optimum community secondary energy flow maps can be acquired by adjusting the weight which has been given to TFEC’s deviation variables. The grey correlation degree, a measure of relevancy between two data series, is used to evaluate these optimum community energy flow results. At last, this GPMS for community energy plan is introduced, as well as a case study in Tianjin.

Age-related changes and regional differences in caspase expression were determined in the primate brain. Using immunoblot analysis, the levels of endogenous caspase-3, caspase-9 and cytochrome c-triggered activated caspase-3 were examined in brain homogenates from the prefrontal, motor and visual cortices, cerebellum, hippocampus and amygdala of 4-year-old and 20-year-old rhesus macaques. Procaspase-3 was detected in similar quantities in all brain regions of both young and aging macaques. Being found in all brain regions, caspase-9 was significantly elevated in old macaques as compared to young ones. After incubation with cytochrome c, active forms of caspase-3 were detected in all brain regions of young and old macaques. In almost all brain regions of old monkeys, the levels of cytochrome c-dependent caspase-3 activation were higher than those of young macaques. These results suggest that the aging rhesus macaque brain has a lower threshold to apoptotic stimuli.