Design of a Simple Model of S. P. P. to Study the Effect of Increasing the Boiler Pressure on the Efficiency of the Model

The Rankine cycle is one example of vapor power cycles. One important application of it is in steam power plants. In this paper, a simple model of the steam power plant is designed to study the effect of increasing boiler's pressures (3, 4, 5, and 6 bar respectively) on the efficiency and the dryness friction of the Model. Properties of the important points in the cycle were calculated consequently the losses in the pump, the losses in the condenser, expansion of the working fluid through the turbine, and the heat transfer to the working fluid through the boiler were determined. From the results, it was found that with the increasing of the boiler's operating pressure the thermal efficiency of the model cycle increases due to a substantial increase in network. Thus net-effect is marked increases in the thermal efficiency of the cycle on account of these measures

A Case of Rituximab-Induced Necrotizing Fasciitis and a Review of the Literature.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a fulminant soft tissue infection characterized by rapid progression and high mortality. Rituximab is a generally well-tolerated immunosuppresive medication used for B-cell malignancies and some rheumatological disorders. We report a case of a 69-year-old male with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who suffered necrotizing fasciitis of his left lower extremity secondary t

Bacterial vaginosis: Prevalence and associated risk factors among non-pregnant women of reproductive age attending a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Aim: To determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) among non-pregnant women of reproductive age group.Methods: A cross-sectional study among non-pregnant asymptomatic women aged 19 to 45 years, attending the gynaecological clinic at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. Participants were counselled and an informed consent was obtained. This was followed by vaginal swabs for microscopy, culture and sensitivity. Diagnosis of BV was by Nugent’s criteria. Data analysis was by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Chi-square and Yates corrected chi-square were calculated, and p value <0.05 was significant.Results: Among the 212 participants, prevalence of BV was 40.1%; it was common among women aged 25-34 years (50; 58.8%), the married (77; 90.6%) and those with tertiary education (39; 45.9%). The risk factors for BV were common among women with laboratory evidence of the infection, however statistically significant risk factors were the use of intrauterine device (OR 1.61, 95%CI 0.543-4.759; p0.020) and previous voluntary termination of pregnancy (OR 1.04, 95%CI 0.600-1.808; p0.047).Conclusion: There was high prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in the study population. Universal screening and treatment of cases may assist in lowering the associated morbidity

Impact of Tapering of Arterial Vessels on Blood Pressure, Pulse Wave Velocity, and Wave Intensity Analysis using 1-Dimensional Computational Model

© 2020 Brunel University London. The angle of arterial tapering increases with ageing, and the geometrical changes of the aorta may cause an increase in central arterial pressure and stiffness. The impact of tapering has been primarily studied using frequency-domain transmission line theories. In this work, we revisit the problem of tapering and investigate its effect on blood pressure and pulse wave velocity (PWV) using a time-domain analysis with a 1D computational model. First, tapering is modelled as a stepwise reduction in diameter and compared with results from a continuously tapered segment. Next, we studied wave reflections in a combination of stepwise diameter reduction of straight vessels and bifurcations, then repeated the experiments with decreasing the length to physiological values. As the model's segments became shorter in length, wave reflections and re-reflections resulted in waves overlapping in time. We extended our work by examining the effect of increasing the tapering angle on blood pressure and wave intensity in physiological models: a model of the thoracic aorta and a model of upper thoracic and descending aorta connected to the iliac bifurcation. Vessels tapering inherently changed the ratio between the inlet and outlet cross-sectional areas, increasing the vessel resistance and reducing the compliance compared with non-tapered vessels. These variables influence peak and pulse pressure. In addition, it is well established that pulse wave velocity increases in an ageing arterial tree. This work provides confirmation that tapering induces reflections and offers an additional explanation to the observation of increased peak pressure and decreased diastolic pressure distally in the arterial tree

FINGERPRINT BASED STUDENT ATTENDANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH AUTOMATIC EXCEL COMPUTATION

Fingerprint is considered to be the best and most widely used biometrics recognition and verification pattern due its uniqueness for every individual. This study focused on the development of a fingerprint students’ attendance system carried out to curb the problems associated with manual methods of taking students attendance in institutions. The design was carried out using appropriate mathematical model, formulae and block diagram representation while Proteus software simulator was used to simulate functionality of the designed circuit. An attendance algorithm was developed and implemented using coolTerm software and Excel spreadsheet. The system was tested using 15 students’ fingerprints which involves enrollment, authentication and report generation processes. Each student was enrolled with a unique identification. During verification and attendance capture at different times, the system exhibits extremely low (0%) False Acceptance Rate (FAR), extremely high (100%) True Accept Rate (TAR) and extremely low (0%) False Reject Rate (FRR). This study has established the effectiveness of students attendance capture using fingerprint as a more secure, credible and error free to impersonation and buddy punching as associated with the existing manual-paper based system

Refractory Abdominal Pain in a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Be Wary of Acquired Angioedema due to C1 Esterase Inhibitor Deficiency.

Acquired angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1INH-AAE) is a rare and potentially fatal syndrome of bradykinin-mediated angioedema characterized by episodes of angioedema without urticaria. It typically manifests with nonpitting edema of the skin and edema in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract mucosa or upper airway. Edema of the upper airway and tongue may lead to life-threatening asphyxiation. C1INH-AAE is typically under-diagnosed because of its rarity and its propensity to mimic more common abdominal conditions and allergic reactions. In this article, we present the case of a 62-year-old male with a history of recently diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who presented to our hospital with recurrent abdominal pain, initially suspected to hav

Agricultural knowledge from academy to farming communities: The role of higher education in enhancing food security in Syria

The dynamics of the Syrian conflict present a complex set of challenges that led to considering more than 10.5 million people food insecure and in need of urgent agricultural and livelihood assistance. This article investigates the role of higher education (HE) in food security. It considers how universities, graduates, and appropriate curriculum and research engagement can address challenges and provide innovative solutions in Syria

Mechanical Properties Comparison of Four Models, Failure Theories Study and Estimation of Thermal Expansion Coefficients for Artificial E-glass Polyester Composite

In this paper, the mechanical properties of artificial E-glass reinforced polyester composite were evaluated; the elastic properties and the strength of the composite were measured experimentally by tensile tests and then compared with the predicted values by theoretical four micromechanical constitutive models. The strength of the composite lamina and laminates were also determined experimentally and compared with five widely used theoretical failure theories. The lamination theory was also used to determine the strength of laminates by applying Hill- Tsai failure criterion. The theoretical models showed that the composite stiffness increases with increasing the fibre volume fraction and the volume fraction which gave the best fit to the experimental results of elastic modulus (E1) corresponds to volume fraction (Vf) equal 0.37. The stiffness of a unidirectional lamina depends on the fiber orientation relative to the off-axis load direction, and it drops sharply as the fiber alignment angle increases. In addition, the prediction of thermal expansion coefficients of composite is carried out in the present analysis, whereas the values of the coefficient that estimated to be based on the mechanical properties of the certain composite theoretically and experimentally

Comparison of Monte Carlo and bootstrap analyses for residual life and confidence interval

Failure starts with creation of a crack, then the propagation of the crack and eventually the fracture of the material. Furthermore, material selection, geometry, processing and residual stresses are critical factors that may contribute to uncertainty and prospective failure mechanisms in engineering. These issues may also arise in computational analysis, a problematic model, for instance, a three-dimensional surface fracture that may necessitate numerous degrees of freedom during analysis. However, considering the multiple incidents of material failure, detailed analysis and efforts to prevent premature material failure for safety and engineering integrity can be carried out. Thus, the objective of this study is to model crack growth in a surface-cracked structure. Aluminium alloy 7075-T6 was the material of interest in this study. The S-version finite element method (SFEM) was used to study fracture propagation. The numerical approach developed in this research was the probabilistic SFEM. Instead of mesh rebuilding, a typical finite element approach, the SFEM uses global-local element overlay method to create a fatigue crack growth model, which was then used for crack research. Empirical computation and previous experimental data were used to evaluate the stress intensity factor (SIF), surface crack growth and fatigue life. The SIF was determined using a virtual crack closure method (VCCM). In addition, the probabilistic approach is also a critical method to generate random parameters, such as Monte Carlo and bootstrap methods. The SIF, fatigue life and surface crack growth were validated and deemed to be within the acceptable range