Short-Term Impact of AC Harmonics on Aging of NiMH Batteries for Grid Storage Applications

Batteries in energy storage systems are exposed to electrical noise, such as alternating current (AC) harmonics. While there have been many studies investigating whether Lithium-ion batteries are affected by AC harmonics, such studies on Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries are scarce. In this study a 10 Ah, 12 V NiMH battery was tested with three different harmonic current frequency overlays during a single charge/discharge cycle: 50 Hz, 100 Hz, and 1000 Hz. No effect on battery internal temperature or gas pressure was found, indicating that NiMH battery aging is not affected by the tested harmonic AC frequencies. This can reduce the cost of energy storage systems, as no extra filters are needed to safeguard the batteries. Instead, the capacitive properties of the batteries give the possibility to use the battery bank itself as a high pass filter, further reducing system complexity and cost.     

Prothetischer Ersatz an der oberen Extremität bei Amputation oder Funktionsverlust

Manuelle Medizin - Die Indikation zum prothetischen Ersatz der oberen Extremität wurde in den letzten Jahren von der klassischen Amputation auch auf Patienten mit Verlust oder angeborenen...     

Osteopontin expression in human and murine obesity: extensive local up-regulation in adipose tissue but minimal systemic alterations

Obesity is associated with a chronic low-grade inflammation characterized by macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue (AT) that may underlie the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein involved in various inflammatory processes, cell migration, and tissue remodeling. Because these processes occur in the AT of obese patients, we studied in detail the regulation of OPN expression in human and murine obesity. The study included 20 morbidly obese patients and 20 age- and sex-matched control subjects, as well as two models (diet-induced and genetic) of murine obesity. In high-fat diet-induced and genetically obese mice, OPN expression was drastically up-regulated in AT (40 and 80-fold, respectively) but remained largely unaltered in liver (<2-fold). Moreover, OPN plasma concentrations remained unchanged in both murine models of obesity, suggesting a particular local but not systemic importance for OPN. OPN expression was strongly elevated also in the AT of obese patients compared with lean subjects in both omental and sc AT. In addition, we detected three OPN isoforms to be expressed in human AT and, strikingly, an obesity induced alteration of the OPN isoform expression pattern. Analysis of AT cellular fractions revealed that OPN is exceptionally highly expressed in AT macrophages in humans and mice. Moreover, OPN expression in AT macrophages was strongly up-regulated by obesity. In conclusion, our data point toward a specific local role of OPN in obese AT. Therefore, OPN could be a critical regulator in obesity induced AT inflammation and insulin resistance.     

Sequencing‐based microsatellite instability testing using as few as six markers for high‐throughput clinical diagnostics

Microsatellite instability (MSI) testing of colorectal cancers (CRCs) is used to screen for Lynch syndrome (LS), a hereditary cancer‐predisposition, and can be used to predict response to immunotherapy. Here, we present a single‐molecule molecular inversion probe and sequencing‐based MSI assay and demonstrate its clinical validity according to existing guidelines. We amplified 24 microsatellites in multiplex and trained a classifier using 98 CRCs, which accommodates marker specific sensitivities to MSI. Sample classification achieved 100% concordance with the MSI Analysis System v1.2 (Promega) in three independent cohorts, totaling 220 CRCs. Backward–forward stepwise selection was used to identify a 6‐marker subset of equal accuracy to the 24‐marker panel. Assessment of assay detection limits showed that the 24‐marker panel is marginally more robust to sample variables than the 6‐marker subset, detecting as little as 3% high levels of MSI DNA in sample mixtures, and requiring a minimum of 10 template molecules to be sequenced per marker for >95% accuracy. BRAF c.1799 mutation analysis was also included to streamline LS testing, with all c.1799T>A variants being correctly identified. The assay, therefore, provides a cheap, robust, automatable, and scalable MSI test with internal quality controls, suitable for clinical cancer diagnostics.     

Enzymatic activity of type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase in selected liver tumors

Introduction

Type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase (D1) converts thyroxin (T4) into tri-iodothyronine (T3). Strong evidence indicates that thyroid hormone metabolism is disturbed in neoplasms such as thyroid and breast cancer. However, there is limited data concerning the function of the D1 enzyme in liver tumors. We aimed to estimate the enzymatic activity of D1 in two different common liver tumors.

Material and methods

We obtained 20 tumor samples from patients who had undergone a liver resection. Of the tissue samples, there were 13 benign lesions of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and 7 malignant lesions of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). The D1 activity was assessed by measuring the amount of radioactive iodine released in reaction to D1-catalysed deiodination. Groups were compared by the Mann-Whitney non-parametrical test for independent trials, and the Kruskal Wallis test.

Results

The enzymatic activity of D1 was not significantly altered in the FNH group (median = 536 fmol/mg of protein/min; p = 0.972) and HCC group (367 fmol/mg; p = 0.128) when compared to matched normal liver parenchyma controls (546 fmol/mg and 556 fmol/mg, respectively).

Conclusions

Liver parenchyma expresses high levels of D1. The results clearly revealed that D1 activity was not significantly different between benign and malignant tumors (FNH and HCC) compared to healthy liver parenchyma cells.     

Geschlechts-Krankheiten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Zur Wirkung der Periarteriellen Sympathektomie an den Extremitäten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Rachitisbehandlung Durch Einmalige Verabfolgung von Vitamin D2

Ohne Zusammenfassung