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A bed-based TAC system applied to sleeping environments has been developed and its performances experimentally and numerically studied, and the study results are reported in this paper. Firstly, a detailed description of an experimental rig for the bed-based TAC system at two settings is presented with a return air inlet on the wall (Setting 1) and with a return air plenum and inlet placed under the bed (Setting 2). Secondly, the experimental results on the operating performances of the bed-based TAC system at the two settings in terms of thermal environmental control and energy saving are analyzed and reported. Thirdly, to supplement the experimental study for a more detailed analysis on air temperature and flow fields, a follow-up numerical study was carried out and is reported. Both the experimental and numerical study results suggested that the bed-based TAC system at Setting 2 performed better in controlling thermal environment in an occupied zone but with a relatively poorer energy saving performance, as compared to that at Setting 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A human being spends approximately one-third of his/her life in sleep. Sleep can help people overcome tiredness, and is very important to one''s memory. With the gradual understanding of the influence of thermal parameters in a sleeping environment on the quality of sleep, different thermal environmental control approaches, such as electric blankets, space heating for cold sleep environments and circulation fans and air-conditioning for hot sleep environments, have been used to maintain a suitable thermal environment for sleep, so that sleep quality could not be adversely affected. In this review paper, firstly, the concept of thermal comfort applicable to sleeping environments is introduced and the relevant studies reviewed. Secondly, the review of the two important issues related to air-conditioning for sleeping environments in tropics and sub-tropics, i.e., night-time space cooling load characteristics, and ventilation requirement for a sleeping person, is presented. Thirdly, different air-conditioning systems used in sleeping environments and these related energy consumptions are reviewed, with an emphasis on bed-based (task/ambient conditioning) TAC applicable to a sleeping environment, which could help save more energy without scarifying the thermal comfort of a sleeper and indoor air quality. Finally, a number of research areas where future studies are needed are reported, including developing optimized control strategies for air-conditioning systems for sleeping environments according to night-time space cooling load characteristics, and new TAC systems applicable to a sleeping environment for greater energy saving. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Enzymes are important raw material for the detergent industry. In order to develop enzymes for detergents, Bacillus licheniformis D5, a strain with high alkaline protease production, was screened in this study. The alkaline protease production was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimized fermentation medium (w/v) consisted of soybean cake flour (4.0%), peanut cake flour (2.69%), beef paste (0.95%), maltodextrin (4.0%), glucose (2.23%), KCl (0.1%), KH2PO4 (0.2%), K2HPO4·12H2O (0.40%), CaCl2 (0.04%), MgSO4·7H2O (0.04%), Tween-80 (0.05%) and serine (0.05%). The fermentation level increased by 2.12-fold compared with the control. The culture temperature was 33°C, and the initial pH was 10. The fed-batch fermentation was performed in a 30 L fermenter. The fermentation level was increased by 47.4% (from 43,587 U/mL to 60,830 U/mL), and the fermentation time was shortened from 78 h to 54 h. The results demonstrated significantly improved fermentation level, reduced fermentation cost, simplified large-scale production of alkaline protease, and thereby promote application of alkaline protease in detergent industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the role of leonurine in the regulation of synovial inflammation and joint destruction inRA. Methods. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes were isolated from synovial tissue from RA patients. Pro-inflammatory cytokine and MMP expression was evaluated using real-time PCR and a cytometric bead array. Cell migration and invasion in vitro were measured using the Boyden chamber method and the scratch assay, respectively. Protein expression was measured by western blotting. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) nuclear translocation was detected by immunofluorescence. The in vivo effect of leonurine was evaluated in mice with CIA. Results. Leonurine treatment significantly decreased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNFα) and MMPs (MMP-1 and MMP-3) and suppressed the migration and invasion of RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes. The molecular analysis revealed that leonurine impaired TNFα-induced NF-κB signalling by inhibiting the phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitor of NF-κB alpha (IκBα) and subsequently preventing the nuclear translocation of the NF-κB p65 subunit. Leonurine also inhibited the p38 and Jun N-terminal kinase mitogen-activated protein kinases signalling pathways without affecting ERK signalling. Intraperitoneal injection of leonurine reduced synovial inflammation, joint destruction and the serum IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα levels in mice with CIA. Conclusion. Our findings show that leonurine reduces synovial inflammation and joint destruction in RA through the NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases pathways. Leonurine has potential as a therapeutic agent for RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was revealed in a previous related study that for an air conditioning (A/C) system used in a sleeping environment, the height of its supply air outlet would significantly affect its ventilation performance in terms of effectiveness. To further examine the underlying reasons of the differences in ventilation performance, the air flow field, distributions of mean age of air, air change efficiency and distributions of CO 2 concentrations inside an experimental bedroom were numerically studied using CFD method under five different settings, where its supply air outlet was positioned at 5 different heights. The study results suggested that positing a supply air outlet at a lower level was effective in both saving energy and removing the exhaled CO 2 in a breathing zone, and when a supply outlet was positioned at a higher level, less CO 2 was removed from the region near the mouth of a sleeper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]