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When a spherical droplet moves parallel to the direction of motion of its surrounding gas medium, it will deform into an ellipsoidal droplet. In this paper, an exposition of a novel model for predicting the minimum flow rate for the continuous removal of liquids from gas wells based on two theories is presented. First, droplet breakup principle is utilized to microscopically obtain the maximum size parameters of ellipsoidal droplets, and second, droplet force equilibrium is adopted to macroscopically calculate the critical droplet entrainment rate. Moreover, effect of variations in the windward area (attributed to droplet deformation) on the drag coefficient is determined. Impacts of variations in pressure, temperature, and pipe diameter on the gas‐liquid two‐phase friction resistance and gas‐liquid surface tension are also considered. For model verification and comparison with other droplet entrainment models, field data from 3436 gas wells are utilized. The field data well validates the results with a 92% accuracy, indicating that the new model has a better comprehensive performance in determining whether or not a gas well is loaded. Besides, parameter sensitivity analyses including the effects of drag coefficient, surface tension, and friction coefficient on the minimum flow rate of gas are performed. Finally, the relationship curve of critical droplet entrainment rates corresponding to different pressures and pipe diameters is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This study aims to establish and evaluate the methodology of isolated rabbit eye (IRE) test. Methods: IRE test was performed according to modifications of the in vitro toxicology (INVITTOX) Protocol No.85: Rabbit enucleated eye test by European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), and then 26 chemicals and 26 cosmetic products were tested in both in vitro IRE and in vivo Draize tests. A statistical analysis was conducted to determine the relevance of the IRE test to the data generated in the Draize test. Results: IRE test was established successfully in our laboratory. It was shown that ranking correlation and class concordance were fairly well between the IRE test and the Draize test for 26 reference chemicals (Fisher''s Exact Test χ2=51.314, P<0.001; McNemar P=0.261; Gamma=0.960, P<0.001; Kappa=0.843, P<0.001) and 26 cosmetic products (Fisher''s Exact Test χ2=15.522, P<0.001; McNemar P=0.311; Gamma=0.967, P<0.001; Kappa=0.611, P<0.001). Conclusion: IRE test was established successfully for in vitro testing of eye irritation as an alternative to Draize test. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To explore the correlation of serum ferritin (SF) and systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SOJIA) so as to determine the prognostic values of SF for SOJIA., Methods: All samples were collected from 92 juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients at Beijing Children's Hospital between February 2005 to September 2012. Their age range was 2-15 years. There were macrophage activation syndrome (MAS, n = 25), polyarticular JIA (n = 33) and oligoarticular JIA (n = 30). And 47 healthy children and another 30 with acute infective diseases were selected as control groups respectively. Blood samples were collected and SF was measured in different disease phases.Other parameters include leucocyte, hemoglobin, platelet, C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.Statistics of SF level at different groups as well as at different disease phases were performed., Results: The SF level of active phase SOJIA patients was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that in Other groups. And its level in the active phase of SOJIA was significantly higher than that in patients during the recovery phase. The SF level in patients with MAS was significantly higher than that in those without MAS., Conclusion: Correlated with the course of SOJIA, the level of SF may judge the disease activity and predict the outcomes of SOJIA.

Objective: To develop a more economic and applicable substitute for modification of dendritic cells (DCs) by capped mRNA in induction of anti-tumor immunity., Methods: Four DNA plasmids as templates of mRNA in vitro transcription were constructed: pmRNA luciferase (Luc), pmRNA internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-Luc, pmRNA ovalbumin (OVA), and pmRNA IRES-OVA. The translational efficiency of uncapped-Luc, capped-Luc, or IRES-Luc mRNA in murine DCs was detected via a Luc reporter system. Nine C57BL/6 mice were divided into 3 equal groups to be injected intraperitoneally with DCs transfected with IRES-OVA or capped-OVA mRNA and untreated DCs respectively, 1 weeks later the mice were injected with splenocytes wrapped with the target peptide or control peptide labeled by CFSE, and 4 hours later the mice were killed and suspension of splenocytes was made to test the activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs). Another 30 mice were divided into 3 equal groups to undergo immunization by DCs as mentioned above, 1 week later mice melanoma cells of the line MO5 stably expressing OVA were injected the caudal vein, and 3 weeks later the mice were killed and their lungs were taken out to observe the metastasis of tumor, using OVA as a target antigen., Results: Insertion of IRES into upstream of gene of interest in mRNA transcriptional templates didn't affect the yield of mRNA in vitro transcription. The level of Luc activity expressed by IRES-Luc mRNA in the DCs was 20 times higher than that by expressed by Uncapped Luc mRNA, and one time higher than that by Capped-Luc mRNA 8 h after transfection of DC. Expression of Luc could be detected up to 96 h after the transfection with IRES-Luc and Capped-Luc mRNA. Four hours after the injection of peptides the CTL activity of the mice immunized with DCs pulsed with Capped-OVA mRNA was (28 +/- 3)%, not significantly different from that of the mice immunized with DCs pulsed with IRES-OVA mRNA [(32 +/- 4)%, P > 0.05]. Mata static melanoma nodules could be seen in all control mice, only one mouse of the Capped-OVA mRNA group, and none of the mice of the IRES-OVA mRNA group., Conclusion: IRES-containing tumor-associated antigen (TAA) mRNA as a more economic and applicable substitute fully replaces Capped-TAA mRNA for mRNA-based DC vaccines and DCs pulsed with IRES-containing TAA mRNA induces the same effective antigen-specific cellular response as the DCs pulsed with Capped-TAA mRNA.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between anti-tumor immune response and autoimmunity elicited by adenovirus-mediated xenogeneic melanoma-related antigen tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP2)., Methods: Mice divided into three groups were intradermally immunized by dl 70-3 (control group), Ad hTRP2, and Ad hTRP2 respectively. Analysis of the killing activity and production of interferon (IFN) gamma of tumor-specific cytotoxia T lymphocytes (CTL) from the C57BL/6 mice (3 mice per group) immunized with adenoviral vector encoding human or murine TRP2 (Ad hTRP2 or Ad mTRP2) were made using in vivo CTL and intracellular staining of IFN-gamma respectively. Additionally, the survival of mice (10 mice per group) immunized with Ad hTRP2 or Ad mTRP2 was checked after the subcutaneous inoculation with mouse melanoma B16.F10 cells., Results: The CTL lysis activity elicited by Ad hTRP2 was related to the duration of immunization, which increased up to peak one week after the immunization and subsequently decreased. Moreover, the Ad hTRP2-elicited CTL lysis was dose-dependent. The 6 h CTL killing and spleen IFN-gamma-producing CD8(+) T cells in total CD8(+) T cells by one week's immunization with Ad hTRP2 were 94% +/- 5% and 0.87% +/- 0.12%, respectively, whereas the 6 h CTL killing and spleen IFN-gamma-producing CD8(+) T cells by Ad mTRP2 were 22% +/- 8% and 0.15% +/- 0.05% respectively. On the other hand, 80%of the mice inoculated with 1 x 10(6) B16.F10 cells a week after the immunization with Ad hTRP2 were tumor-free for three months, but companied by formation of vitiligo in the Ad injection sites. However, only 20% of the Ad mTRP2-immunized mice inoculated with 1 x 10(5) B16.F10 cells survived, and no vitiligo was formatted., Conclusion: Adenovirus-mediated xenogeneic melanoma-related antigen TRP2 effectively breaks immune tolerance, thus inducing strong antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell response, simultaneously companied by obvious autoimmune injury.