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The persistent production of inflammatory cytokines causes anemia of chronic disease (ACD). Playing a central role in the pathophysiology of ACD is hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism. The regulation of hepcidin expression is a complex process intricately controlled by multiple pathways. These include the BMP/SMAD, the HFE–TFR2, and the IL-6/STAT3 pathway, each playing a significant role in this regulation. We detail the critical role of the repulsive guidance molecule (RGM) family, especially hemojuvelin (HJV/RGMc), in regulating hepcidin expression in ACD. HJV functions as a co-receptor for BMPs and positively regulates hepcidin expression. RGMa and RGMb may also regulate hepcidin expression and inflammatory responses. RGM family proteins play essential roles in the interplay between inflammation, iron metabolism, and the immune system, and elucidating them could lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of ACD and the development of new therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toluene is highly toxic and mutagenic, and it is generally used as an industrial solvent. Thus, toluene removal from air is necessary. To solve the problem of reducing high toluene concentrations with a short gas retention time (GRT), a quorum-sensing molecule [N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone] (OHL) was added to a biotrickling filter (BTF). In this study, a BTF was used to treat synthetic and natural waste gases containing toluene. An extensive analysis was performed to understand the removal efficiency, removal characteristics, and bacterial community of the BTF. The addition of 20 μM OHL to the BTF significantly improved toluene removal, and more than 99.2% toluene removal was achieved at a GRT of 0.5 min when natural waste gas containing toluene (590–1020 ppm or 2.21–3.83 g m−3) was introduced. The maximum inlet load for toluene was 337.9 g m−3 h−1. Moreover, the BTF exhibited satisfactory adaptability to shock loading and shutdown operations. Pseudomonadaceae (33.0%) and Comamonadaceae (26.3%) were predominant bacteria in the system after a 98-day operation. These bacteria were responsible for toluene degradation. The optimal moisture content and low pressure drop for system operations demonstrated that the BTF was energy and cost efficient. Therefore, processing through a BTF with OHL is a favorable technique for toluene treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the operation of distribution systems, loading balance of distribution feeders is important for reducing power loss and mitigating power flow overloading. In this paper, a loop power controller (LPC) is applied for the control of real power and reactive power flows by adjusting voltage ratio and phase shift so that the loading balance of distribution feeders can be obtained. To incorporate photovoltaic (PV) power generation in feeder loading balance, a Taipower distribution feeder with large PV installation is selected for computer simulation. Daily loading unbalance is determined by analyzing PV power generation recorded by the SCADA system and by constructing daily power load profiles based on distribution automation system (DAS) data. The load transfer required to achieve loading balance and the line impedance of distribution feeders are used to derive the voltage ratio and phase shift of the LPC. Computer simulations indicated that loading balance can be achieved in distribution feeders with large PV system installation by using loop power controllers according to the variation of solar energy and power loading of study feeders. The system power loss reduction resulting from feeder loading balance by LPC is also investigated in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]