Design of a Direct Drive Wave Energy Conversion System for the Seaquest Concept

Abstract In this work the investigation and design of a Direct Drive Wave Energy Conversion System for the Seaquest Concept is presented. It involves all the steps of the project, from the marine environment analysis to the problems linked to the connection to the grid, passing through the sizing procedure of an innovative arc-shaped electrical generator, in which the flux-switching principle has been applied, then through its analysis, optimization and performance verification by FEA, and then the study of the most suitable control strategies. Particular attention has been given to all the specificities this new particular generator presents: non-constant rotational speed, reciprocating motion, border effects. This arch-shaped generator has then been compared to a traditional rotating machine directly coupled with the shaft and moved by the pendulu

Trata de mujeres con fines de explotación sexual, una forma de esclavitud moderna

La trata de personas es una forma de esclavitud moderna vinculada directamente a la pobreza y las desigualdades sociales, constituyendo uno de los crímenes más brutales de la historia de la humanidad, al que mujeres y niños están mayoritariamente expuestos. Paraguay es uno de los países más pobres y desiguales del mundo y la trata es un fenómeno que empieza a verse como un iceberg, por lo que requiere de la acción urgente, integral y eficaz del Estado, con un enfoque de derechos que proteja a las víctimas, y evite el estancamiento en acciones represivas aisladas sin justicia real

Desempenho de feijão-caupi de porte ereto e semi-ereto na região Ecótono Cerrado-Pantanal.

No Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul as cultivares e linhagens de feijão-caupi apresentam ampla variabilidade o que justifica a realização de ensaios regionalizados com o intuito de se definir aquelas com maior potencial produtivo. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar o desempenho de 16 genótipos de feijão-caupi desenvolvidos pela Embrapa Meio Norte (Teresina-PI), entre linhagens avançadas e cultivares comerciais, na região ?ecótono cerrado-pantanal? do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. O experimento foi conduzido na área experimental da Universidade Estadual do Mato Grosso do Sul, Unidade de Aquidauana, na safra da seca do período agrícola 2010/2011.CONAC 2012. Disponível em: http://www.conac2012.org/resumos/pdf/050g.pdf. Acesso em: 03 jul. 2013

Handbook

Conté : Reales órdenes publicadas del 29 de marzo de 1889 y que completan las de "El maquinista naval". Handbook, ó, manual para uso de los maquinistas navales / obra escrita en inglés por Thomas Reed; y traducida al español por Antonio Genescá - Tercera edición1st ed

A Malignant Mass in the Breast Is Not Always Breast Cancer

A 37-year-old woman presented to the Internal Medicine Clinic with complaints of abdominal pain and constipation which had begun 3 months earlier. A colonoscopy was performed, and wall thickening of the sigmoid colon was detected. A biopsy of the sigmoid colon revealed a poorly differentiated, mucin-producing adenocarcinoma with a signet-ring pattern. No distant metastasis was detected. The patient was treated with chemotherapy consisting of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin. One and a half years later, a painless mass, which was not fixed to the skin, measuring 1 cm in diameter, was found in the lower outer quadrant of the left breast. A core biopsy of the mass was performed, and a histopathological report confirmed metastasis to the breast from mucinous adenocarcinoma of an intestinal primary

Dynamics of unvisited sites in presence of mutually repulsive random walkers

We have considered the persistence of unvisited sites of a lattice, i.e., the probability $S(t)$ that a site remains unvisited till time $t$ in presence of mutually repulsive random walkers. The dynamics of this system has direct correspondence to that of the domain walls in a certain system of Ising spins where the number of domain walls become fixed following a zero termperature quench. Here we get the result that $S(t) \propto \exp(-\alpha t^{\beta})$ where $\beta$ is close to 0.5 and $\alpha$ a function of the density of the walkers $\rho$. The number of persistent sites in presence of independent walkers of density $\rho^\prime$ is known to be $S^\prime (t) = \exp(-2 \sqrt{\frac{2}{\pi}} \rho^\prime t^{1/2})$. We show that a mapping of the interacting walkers' problem to the independent walkers' problem is possible with $\rho^\prime = \rho/(1-\rho)$ provided $\rho^\prime, \rho$ are small. We also discuss some other intricate results obtained in the interacting walkers' case.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Use of STATCOM in wind farms with fixed-speed generators for grid code compliance

The increasing penetration of wind energy into power systems has pushed grid operators to set new requirements for this kind of generating plants in order to keep acceptable and reliable operation of the system. In addition to the low voltage ride through capability, wind farms are required to participate in voltage support, stability enhancement and power quality improvement. This paper presents a solution for wind farms with fixed-speed generators based on the use of STATCOM with braking resistor and additional series impedances, with an adequate control strategy. The focus is put on guaranteeing the grid code compliance when the wind farm faces an extensive series of grid disturbances

Peritoneal changes due to laparoscopic surgery

Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery has been incorporated into common surgical practice. The peritoneum is an organ with various biologic functions that may be affected in different ways by laparoscopic and open techniques. Clinically, these alterations may be important in issues such as peritoneal metastasis and adhesion formation. METHODS: A literature search using the Pubmed and Cochrane databases identified articles focusing on the key issues of laparoscopy, peritoneum, inflammation, morphology, immunology, and fibrinolysis. Results : Laparoscopic surgery induces alterations in the peritoneal integrity and causes local acidosis, probably due to peritoneal hypoxia. The local immune system and inflammation are modulated by a pneumoperitoneum. Additionally, the peritoneal plasmin system is inhibited, leading to peritoneal hypofibrinolysis. CONCLUSION: Similar to open surgery, laparoscopic surgery affects both the integrity and biology of the peritoneum. These observations may have implications for various clinical conditions.1 januari 201

Quality Assessment of Dried Blood Spots from Tuberculosis Patients from Four Countries

BACKGROUND: Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling is a blood collection tool that uses a finger prick to obtain a blood drop on a DBS card. It can be used for therapeutic drug monitoring, a method that uses blood drug concentrations to optimize individual treatment. DBS sampling is believed to be a simpler way of blood collection compared with venous sampling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of DBSs from patients with tuberculosis all around the world based on quality indicators in a structured assessment procedure. METHODS: Total 464 DBS cards were obtained from 4 countries: Bangladesh, Belarus, Indonesia, and Paraguay. The quality of the DBS cards was assessed using a checklist consisting of 19 questions divided into 4 categories: the integrity of the DBS materials, appropriate drying time, blood volume, and blood spot collection. RESULTS: After examination, 859 of 1856 (46%) blood spots did not comply with present quality criteria. In 625 cases (34%), this was due to incorrect blood spot collection. The DBS cards from Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Paraguay seemed to be affected by air humidity, causing the blood spots not to dry appropriately. CONCLUSIONS: New tools to help obtain blood spots of sufficient quality are necessary and environmental specific recommendations to determine plasma concentration correctly. In addition, 3% of the DBS cards were rejected because the integrity of the materials suggesting that the quality of plastic ziplock bags currently used to protect the DBS cards against contamination and humidity may not be sufficient

Elevated ratio of acylated to unacylated ghrelin in children and young adults with Prader–Willi syndrome

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by a switch from failure to thrive to excessive weight gain and hyperphagia in early childhood. Hyperghrelinemia may be involved in the underlying mechanisms of the switch. The purpose of this study is to evaluate acylated ghrelin (AG) and unacylated ghrelin (UAG) levels in PWS and investigate their associations with hyperphagia. This is a cross-sectional clinical study conducted in three PWS expert centers in the Netherlands and France. Levels of AG and UAG and the AG/UAG ratio were determined in 138 patients with PWS (0.2–29.4 years) and compared with 50 age-matched obese subjects (4.3–16.9 years) and 39 healthy controls (0.8–28.6 years). AEBSF was used to inhibit deacylation of AG. As a group, PWS patients had higher AG but similar UAG levels as healthy controls (AG 129.1 vs 82.4 pg/ml, p = 0.016; UAG 135.3 vs 157.3 pg/ml, resp.), resulting in a significantly higher AG/UAG ratio (1.00 vs 0.61, p = 0.001, resp.). Obese subjects had significantly lower AG and UAG levels than PWS and controls (40.3 and 35.3 pg/ml, resp.), but also a high AG/UAG ratio (1.16). The reason for the higher AG/UAG ratio in PWS and obese was, however, completely different, as PWS had a high AG and obese a very low UAG. PWS patients without weight gain or hyperphagia had a similar AG/UAG ratio as age-matched controls, in contrast to those with weight gain and/or hyperphagia who had an elevated AG/UAG ratio. The switch to excessive weight gain in PWS seems to coincide with an increase in the AG/UAG ratio, even prior to the start of hyperphagia