Search

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blending with the phase change material (PCM) to prepare thermal energy storage film has the disadvantage of leakage. The waste fly ash (FA) can be used as the substrate of PCM to prevent leakage and give the FA high value. In this study, the rude fly ash (RFA) with the modification of rinsing and HCl treatment impregnates the stearic acid (SA) directly to prepare rFAS and HFAS, respectively. The PVA/FAS thermal energy storage films are prepared by solution casting. The surface properties and the absorption capacity analysis of the FA indicated that the modification can increase the surface areas and average pore volume and the HFAS have the best adsorption capacity. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) show that the SA successfully adsorbed on the FA. The PVA/FAS thermal energy storage films with the 15% HFAS content have the best tensile strength (9.87 MPa), thermal conductivity (0.611 W*[m.sup.-1]*[K.sup.-1]), and thermal energy storage property (59.04 J*[g.sup.-1] after 1 cycle time) because of the best compatibility between HFAS and PVA. After 500 cycle times, the latent heat of the PVA/HFAS decreased only 4.62% and the PVA/RFAS and PVA/RFAS decreased by 8.32%, and 10.87%, respectively. KEYWORDS phase change materials, polyvinyl alcohol, thermal energy storage films, waste fly ash, 1 | INTRODUCTION Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has advantages such as nontoxic, biodegradable, water-soluble, and good film forming properties, which is widely used in the field of food packaging films. [1-3] [...]

BackgroundLong-distance running can be a form of stress to the heart. Technological improvements combined with the public’s gradual turn toward mobile health (mHealth), self-health, and exercise effectiveness have resulted in the widespread use of wearable exercise products. The monitoring of dynamic cardiac function changes during running and running performance should be further studied. ObjectiveWe investigated the relationship between dynamic cardiac function changes and finish time for 3000-meter runs. Using a wearable device based on a novel cardiac force index (CFI), we explored potential correlations among 3000-meter runners with stronger and weaker cardiac functions during running. MethodsThis study used the American product BioHarness 3.0 (Zephyr Technology Corporation), which can measure basic physiological parameters including heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, maximum oxygen consumption, and activity. We investigated the correlations among new physiological parameters, including CFI = weight * activity / heart rate, cardiac force ratio (CFR) = CFI of running / CFI of walking, and finish times for 3000-meter runs. ResultsThe results showed that waist circumference, smoking, and CFI were the significant factors for qualifying in the 3000-meter run. The prediction model was as follows: ln (3000 meters running performance pass probability / fail results probability) = –2.702 – 0.096 × [waist circumference] – 1.827 × [smoke] + 0.020 × [ACi7]. If smoking and the ACi7 were controlled, contestants with a larger waist circumference tended to fail the qualification based on the formula above. If waist circumference and ACi7 were controlled, smokers tended to fail more often than nonsmokers. Finally, we investigated a new calculation method for monitoring cardiac status during exercise that uses the CFI of walking for the runner as a reference to obtain the ratio between the cardiac force of exercise and that of walking (CFR) to provide a standard for determining if the heart is capable of exercise. A relationship is documented between the CFR and the performance of 3000-meter runs in a healthy 22-year-old person. During the running period, data are obtained while participant slowly runs 3000 meters, and the relationship between the CFR and time is plotted. The runner’s CFR varies with changes in activity. Since the runner’s acceleration increases, the CFR quickly increases to an explosive peak, indicating the runner’s explosive power. At this period, the CFI revealed a 3-fold increase (CFR=3) in a strong heart. After a time lapse, the CFR is approximately 2.5 during an endurance period until finishing the 3000-meter run. Similar correlation is found in a runner with a weak heart, with the CFR at the beginning period being 4 and approximately 2.5 thereafter. ConclusionsIn conclusion, the study results suggested that measuring the real-time CFR changes could be used in a prediction model for 3000-meter running performance.

Background: Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase Subunit Alpha 1 (P4HA1) is the active catalytic component of prolyl 4-hydroxylase and plays a crucial role in modulating extracellular matrix hemostasis. P4HA1 has been reported to promote tumor progression by enhancing invasion and angiogenesis. Overexpression of P4HA1 is associated with decreased survival for patients with breast and prostate cancer. However, the prognostic significance of P4HA1 for glioma patients remains undefined., Methods: The expression of P4HA1 in 290 gliomas (WHO grade II-IV) and 10 normal brain tissues was examined with TMA-based immunohistochemistry assay. The correlation between P4HA1 expression and clinicopathological parameters as well as the prognosis of glioma patients was investigated., Results: Cytoplasmic expression of P4HA1 is high in 37.93% of all glioma cases, with 44.98% in high-grade gliomas and 19.75% in low-grade gliomas respectively. Increased P4HA1 level was correlated with advanced histological grade (p<0.01) and old age (p=0.01). Upregulation of P4HA1, as well as histological grade, was an independent risk factor for unfavorable prognosis. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that high P4HA1 expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis for high-grade gliomas (p<0.01) but not for low-grade gliomas., Conclusions: P4HA1 was upregulated in gliomas. High expression of P4HA1 was correlated with the malignancy of gliomas and could serve as a prognostic indicator for patients with high-grade gliomas., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)