A novel multi-reactor system for thermochemical heat storage through detailed modeling of K₂CO₃ particles

Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) is becoming increasingly important in the energy transition, as it can effectively bridge the gap between renewable energy supply and demand. In this study, the reaction kinetics of K2CO3 were characterized and validated. Based on this kinetic model, a numerical model of a packed bed of particles was developed using a coupled CFD-DEM approach. The results of the model were validated against experimental data of a particle bed, showing good agreement. The reaction rate of the system was found to be limited by the diffusion of water vapor into the material, which led to unsatisfactory performance on the bed scale due to significant temperature drop-offs. Although reducing particle size was found to be an effective way to improve system performance, practical concerns such as agglomeration and bed permeability limited its effectiveness. As an alternative, a multi-reactor system with adaptive flow rates was proposed, which improved system performance without the limitations of reducing particle size. The proposed modular system is capable of delivering 10 kW power at the temperature of 45 degrees for a duration of 19.5 h

A comparative study of a bio fuel cell with two different proton exchange membrane for the production of electricity from waste water

In the present study, electricity generation with waste water as substrate was investigated in a two compartment biofuel cell with two different combinations of electrodes and membrane. Two proton exchange membranes namely nafion and agar salt bridge and aluminum as electrode were used in the biofuel cell. It was found that biofuel cells operated with nafion produce maximum voltage 0.504 V with a current density of 0.1 A/m2 whereas in case of agar salt bridge maximum voltage of 0.145 V with a current density of 0.05 A/m2 was obtained. The more voltage produced in case of nafion is attributed to its low resistance for hydrogen ion transport

Inequity in the Utilization of Maternal-Health Care Services in South Asia: Nepal, India and Sri Lanka

To review the inequities in utilization of Skilled Birth Attendants (SBA) and institutional delivery services using “Three Delays framework” to categorize and explain socio economic determinants in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. Design: This is an article review which adopted narrative synthesis (a mixed method approach). Literature search was conducted from a relevant database including: Scopus, ProQuest and PubMed. The search was performed using developed list of search terms to find out published papers from Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. The paper also used data from Nepal Demographic Health Survey (NDHS, 2011), National Family Health Survey, India (NFHS, 2006) and Sri Lanka Demographic Health Survey (DHS, 2007). Findings: From 438 articles, sixteen studies were included, from Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. Findings were organised under three delays themes: (1) deciding to seek health care by women and/or her family, (2) Reaching health care facility and (3) Receiving adequate and appropriate health care at the facility. The evidence from these studies showed wide variation in use of maternal health services exist both between and within respective countries. These differences are affected by education, distance, lack of transportation, cost of transportation and cost of delivery at hospitals. Key conclusions: This study has shown high variations in the use of maternal health care services in South Asian countries. Nepal and India had lower access and higher inequalities in utilization of SBAs at delivery and institutional delivery by socio-economic determinants compared with Sri Lanka

Drosophila modifier screens to identify novel neuropsychiatric drugs including aminergic agents for the possible treatment of Parkinson's disease and depression.

Small molecules that increase the presynaptic function of aminergic cells may provide neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease (PD) as well as treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. Model genetic organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster may enhance the detection of new drugs via modifier or 'enhancer/suppressor' screens, but this technique has not been applied to processes relevant to psychiatry. To identify new aminergic drugs in vivo, we used a mutation in the Drosophila vesicular monoamine transporter (dVMAT) as a sensitized genetic background and performed a suppressor screen. We fed dVMAT mutant larvae ∼ 1000 known drugs and quantitated rescue (suppression) of an amine-dependent locomotor deficit in the larva. To determine which drugs might specifically potentiate neurotransmitter release, we performed an additional secondary screen for drugs that require presynaptic amine storage to rescue larval locomotion. Using additional larval locomotion and adult fertility assays, we validated that at least one compound previously used clinically as an antineoplastic agent potentiates the presynaptic function of aminergic circuits. We suggest that structurally similar agents might be used to development treatments for PD, depression and ADHD, and that modifier screens in Drosophila provide a new strategy to screen for neuropsychiatric drugs. More generally, our findings demonstrate the power of physiologically based screens for identifying bioactive agents for select neurotransmitter systems

Neutron interferometric measurement of the scattering length difference between the triplet and singlet states of n-3^3He

We report a determination of the n-$^3$He scattering length difference $\Delta b^{\prime} = b_{1}^{\prime}-b_{0}^{\prime} =$ ($-5.411$ $\pm$ $0.031$ (statistical) $\pm$ $0.039$ (systematic)) fm between the triplet and singlet states using a neutron interferometer. This revises our previous result $\Delta b^{\prime} =$ (-5.610 $\pm$ $0.027$ (statistical) $\pm$ $0.032$ (systematic) fm obtained using the same technique in 2008. This revision is due to a re-analysis of the 2008 experiment that includes a more robust treatment of the phase shift caused by magnetic field gradients near the $^3$He cell. Furthermore, we more than doubled our original data set from 2008 by acquiring six months of additional data in 2013. Both the new data set and a re-analysis of the older data are in good agreement. Scattering lengths of low Z isotopes are valued for use in few-body nuclear effective field theories, provide important tests of modern nuclear potential models and in the case of $^3$He aid in the interpretation of neutron scattering from quantum liquids. The difference $\Delta b^{\prime}$ was determined by measuring the relative phase shift between two incident neutron polarizations caused by the spin-dependent interaction with a polarized $^3$He target. The target $^3$He gas was sealed inside a small, flat windowed glass cell that was placed in one beam path of the interferometer. The relaxation of $^3$He polarization was monitored continuously with neutron transmission measurements. The neutron polarization and spin flipper efficiency were determined separately using $^3$He analyzers and two different polarimetry analysis methods. A summary of the measured scattering lengths for n-$^3$He with a comparison to nucleon interaction models is given

Dry Eye among Medical Students of Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara, Nepal

Introduction: Dry eye disease results from decreased tear production, increased evaporation of tears and inflammation. Medical students of­ten have dry eyes due to use of projectors, computers for study and also due to use of mobiles. Objective: The present study was undertaken to find out dry eye by Schirmer 1 test with local anesthesia and measurement of wetting of Schirmer test strip. Methods: Schirmer 1 test with anesthesia was performed on 200 medi­cal students from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018 after obtaining informed consent and after applying some exclusion criteria. The test was per­formed by first applying 4% topical lignocaine and then using Whatman filter paper no 41 and wetting of the filter paper measured after five minutes and time noted. Results: 146 (73%) Among 200 Students, were males and 54 (27%) were females. Mean age of patients was 21.73 ±1.42 years. Mild dry eye was seen in 19.5%, moderate in 13% and severe dry eye in 13.5% of medical students Conclusion: Dry eye is one of common ocular disease among medical students