Performance investigation of a small Savonius-Darrius counter-rotating vertical-axis wind turbine

This paper describes the study of a small vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) with a combined design of Darrius and Savonius counter-rotating rotors. The main purpose of this study is to improve the extraction capabilities of a single-rotor VAWT by using two distinct rotor designs while adopting the counter-rotating technique. Given that the conversion capabilities and operational speed of the existing wind turbines are still limited, the current technique is used to enhance the efficiency and expand the operating wind speed range of the VAWT. The Darrius and Savonius counter-rotating rotors were exposed to a similar upstream wind speed using a centrifugal blower. It was found that the Savonius-Darrius counter-rotating rotor was able to operate effectively, particularly at the low-speed wind. By looking at the individual performance of the rotors, it was observed that the conversion efficiency of the H-type rotor increases as the wind speed increases. However, in the case of the S-type rotor, it is higher at lower wind speed and tends to decrease as the operating speed increases. Thus, the maximum efficiency of the S-type rotor was achieved at low speed, whereas the H-type rotor has achieved its maximum efficiency at the highest operating wind speed. The average efficiency of the present Savonius-Darrius counter-rotating rotor has been improved to reach almost 42% and 30% more efficiency in terms of torque and power, respectively.     

The dynamics of erythrocyte metabolism in severe forms of meningococcal infection and suppurative meningitis in children

In 63 children with severe meningococcal infection (MI) and meningitides of another origin red cell metabolism was studied: levels of ATP, ADP, AMP, ATP/ADP, ATP/AMP, energetic charge, 2,3-DPG, FAD, piruvate, lactate, activity of lactate dehydrogenase, piruvate kinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutatione reductase, Mg2+, Na+, K(+)-dependent ATPase. All the disease periods were characterized by combined pathobiochemical shifts of different degree typical for varying metabolic systems and correlating with the infection severity. The discussion covers pathogenetic and clinical significance of red cell metabolism shifts in patients with MI and purulent meningitides.     

Growth dynamics and characteristics of fabricated Fiber Bragg Grating using phase mask method

In this paper, Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are written by photoinduced refractive index changes in optical fibers. Experimental setup and results are presented to show the growth dynamics and the characteristics of the FBG that are written using phase mask method with different exposure time. In this paper, the effect of various UV exposure times and pulse energy during fabrication onto the reflectivity and Bragg wavelength has been defined.     

Biochemical characteristics of blood from patients with febrile attacks of schizophrenia

AIMS: This study describes development and field testing of a set of indicators for drug and therapeutics committees (DTCs) in hospitals. It was intended that these indicators should be accessible, useful and relevant in the Australian setting. METHODS: Candidate indicators were written following consultation and data collection. A framework of outcome, impact and process indicators was based on DTC goals, objectives and strategies. The candidate indicators were field tested over a 2 month period in teaching, city non-teaching, rural and private hospitals. The field tests provided response data for each indicator and evaluation of the indicators against criteria for accessibility, relevance, usefulness, clarity and resource utilisation. Consensus on which indicators to accept, modify or reject was reached at a workshop of stakeholders and experts, taking account of the field test results. RESULTS: Thirty-five candidate indicators were tested in 16 hospitals. Twenty-two had a response from >80% of sites, 23 had a mean relevance rating >3.5, 19 had a mean usefulness rating >3.5, 27 were correctly interpreted by > 90% of sites and 25 could be collected in an acceptable time. The most acceptable indicators required least data collection or provided data deemed useful for purposes other than the field test. At the consensus workshop 13 indicators were accepted with no or minor change, nine were accepted after major modification and eight were discarded. It was recommended that a further five indicators should be merged or subsumed into one indicator. CONCLUSIONS: This study has developed and field tested a set of indicators for DTCs in Australia. The indicators have been taken up enthusiastically as a first attempt to monitor DTC performance but require ongoing validation and development to ensure continuing relevance and usefulness.     

Guarding the Neighbourhood: The New Landscape of Control in Malaysia

While securitised enclaves have become a global phenomenon, case studies of particular nations reveal the unique interplay between local conditions and international influences. This article presents the first major empirical study of gated developments in Malaysia. We found two types of enclosures being produced in urban Malaysia. Market-produced gated communities, attracting affluent households to live within elegant walls, dominate new growth areas in major cities. Guarded neighbourhoods are a post-market product: that is they result from resident-initiated actions to impose makeshift boundaries and controls in older neighbourhoods. Although concerns about safety and security permeate the national discourse around gates and guards, new structures of enclosure reinforce and reproduce shifting structures of inequality, class and ethnicity in urban Malaysia.     

Therapeutic properties of Pleurotus species (oyster mushrooms) for atherosclerosis: A review

Atherosclerosis is an impairment of the artery walls made up of two membrane layers, intima and media. Oxidative stress, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia are the three main factors that cause atherosclerosis. These conditions are frequently found together and may cause atherogenesis to rapidly occur. The edible genus Pleurotus is commonly known as oyster mushrooms. Pleurotus spp. has been proven to have valuable medicinal attributes. Hence, they have been listed among “mushroom nutriceuticals” and categorized as both functional foods and medicinal mushrooms. In this review, we report the benefits of Pleurotus spp. for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis via reduction of oxidative stress, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia in terms of the therapeutic compounds responsible. This review revealed that at least ten different types of Pleurotus spp. have been reported to have anti-atherogenic capabilities, with six of them possessing high levels of anti-atherogenic compounds such as ACE inhibitor peptide, ergothioneine, chrysin, and lovastatin. Hence, it has been demonstrated that Pleurotus spp. has great potential for use as food or extracts from fruiting bodies or mycelium in an alternative therapy for atherosclerosis, through prevention and treatment of oxidative stress, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia.     

New relation between viscosity and surface tension for pure hydrocarbon liquids

A new relation between viscosity and surface tension is proposed and checked for 21 pure hydrocarbon liquids, and validated with the National Institute of Science and Technology data. The performance and accuracy of the proposed relation are compared with the reported empirical correlations in the form of absolute average deviation. The proposed relation remains valid for higher hydrocarbons (up to C₂₅H₅₂). A total of 418 data points for 21 pure hydrocarbon liquids were taken into consideration for checking the accuracy of the proposed relation. The proposed relation gives an absolute average deviation of 5.66%, indicating high accuracy of the proposed relation.     

Stroke volume response to cycle ergometry in trained and untrained older men

We evaluated the risk of development of second primary cancers, with particular reference to subsequent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in 592 patients diagnosed as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), at Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases. During 1978-1994, 2,163 person-years of observation were accrued, and 27 of the patients developed a second primary cancer, yielding an observed-to-expected ratio (O/E) of 1.53 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-2.23]. Significant excess risk was noted for primary liver cancer (PLC; O/E = 4.36, 95% CI = 1.99-8.28; O = 9) and non-lymphocytic leukemia (O/E = 26.17, 95% CI = 5.26-76.46; O = 3). The excess risk of PLC was relatively constant within the first 10 years after the NHL diagnosis. Patients who received chemotherapy as the NHL treatment had a significantly increased risk of PLC (O/E = 5.91, 95% CI = 2.70-11.23; O = 9). Their clinical reports indicated that all nine patients with PLC were diagnosed as HCC, and eight of them had clinical and/or histologic evidence of cirrhosis at the time of HCC diagnosis. None of the nine patients had a history of blood transfusion between the first NHL treatment and the diagnosis of HCC. These findings suggested that Japanese NHL patients might have an increased risk of developing HCC, and they indicated the importance of medical surveillance for liver malignancies, as well as subsequent leukemias. Possible explanations for the excess risk of subsequent HCC are discussed.