Analysis of a nature-inspired shape for a vertical axis wind turbine

[Abstract] Wind energy is gaining special interest worldwide due to the necessity of reducing pollutant emissions and employ renewable resources. Traditionally, horizontal axis wind turbines have been employed but certain situations require vertical axis wind turbines. With a view to improve the efficiency of a vertical axis wind turbine Savonius type, the present work proposes a bioinspired design blade profile relying on the Fibonacci spiral. This shape is repeatedly presented in nature and thus it leads to a bio-inspired blade profile. A numerical model was carried out and it was found that the Fibonacci shape improves the performance of the original Savonius shape, based on semicircular blade profiles. Particularly, the Fibonacci blade profile increases around 14% the power in comparison with the Savonius blade profile. Besides this comparison between Savonius and Fibonacci, a research study was carried out to improve the efficiency of the Fibonacci turbine. To this end, the effect of several parameters was analyzed: number of blades, aspect ratio, overlap, separation gap, and twist angle. Improvements on the average power greater than 30% were obtained

What about the partner? -factors associated with patient-perceived partner dyspareunia in men with Peyronie\u27s disease

Background: Limited data are available on how partners of men with Peyronie\u27s disease (PD) are affected by the disease. We sought to characterize PD patients whose curvatures result in pain for their partners during penetrative intercourse. Methods: We queried a database of all men undergoing initial evaluation for PD at a single clinic between March 2014 and June 2016. Patients were administered a questionnaire regarding sexual health concerns with domains including erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction, libido, and penile curvature. In the penile curvature section, patients were specifically asked: Does the curvature cause your partner any pain during penetrative intercourse? (Y/N). Patients\u27 partners were not directly evaluated for conditions associated with dyspareunia. Additionally, patients interested in treatment for PD underwent objective curve assessment after intracavernosal injection of erectogenic medications along with penile duplex Doppler ultrasound. Statistical analysis was performed to identify differences in clinicopathologic variables and patient-responses to questionnaire prompts between patients who did and did not report partner pain with intercourse. Results: A total of 322 patients with information available on partner pain were included in the study. Patients who reported partner pain had significantly higher subjective erectile rigidity (mean 5.9/10 Conclusions: Men with superior erectile function, higher degrees of penile curvature and ventral curvatures were more likely to report partner pain during penetrative intercourse. These specific disease characteristics reported in this series may assist clinicians in identifying men who are more motivated to select more invasive therapies

The Impacts of Oil Price and Exchange Rate on Food Prices in Nigeria

This empirical research examined the interconnecting relationship between oil price, exchange rate and food prices in Nigeria. The study applied annual time series data from 1972 to 2016. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) techniques were used in the process of estimating the model. The main results disclosed that there is a long run association among the considered variables. The error correction term indicates significant negative sign. Among the two independent variables in the model, exchange rate is affecting food price more than the oil price counterpart since some of the food items are imported. The result has robust implication on policy recommendations in Nigeria. Food production has a vital role in influencing food prices in Nigeria. The Central Bank of Nigeria must consider exchange rate as a factor influencing food price in its quest for achieving inflation target. Keywords Oil price; exchange rate; food price; ARDL; Nigeria DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-8-08 Publication date: April 30th 201

Penentuan umur panen beberapa kultivar mangga (Mangifera indica L.)

Salah satu penyebab rendahnya kualitas buah mangga adalah umur panen yang tidak tepat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh umur panen terhadap kualitas beberapa kultivar mangga (Mangifera indica L.). Penelitian ini dilaksanakan mulai dari bulan Juli sampai November 2021 di Laboratorium Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati. Metode penelitian yang digunakan yaitu metode eksperimen dengan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL). Faktor yang diuji adalah kombinasi antara kultivar mangga (Gedong Gincu, Arumanis, Cengkir, dan Lalijiwo) dengan umur panen (60, 75, 90, 105, dan 120 hari setelah bunga mekar). Perlakuan diulang sebanyak 2 kali sehingga didapat 40 satuan percobaan. Variabel yang diamati adalah bobot segar buah, susut bobot buah, kekerasan buah, vitamin C, dan total padatan terlarut. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bobot buah Arumanis dan Cengkir pada umur 90–120 Hari Setelah Bungan Mekar (HSBM) lebih tinggi dibanding kultivar lainnya. Susut bobot paling rendah terjadi pada Gedong Gincu dan Arumanis umur 120 HSBM sedangkan kandungan vitamin C dan total padatan terlarut yang tinggi diperoleh pada Gedong Gincu, Cengkir, dan Lalijiwo umur 120 hari setelah bunga mekar. Umur panen terbaik untuk semua kultivar adalah antara 90–120 HSBM.ABSTRACTOne of the causes of mango’s low quality is the improper harvesting age. This study aimed to determine the effect of harvest age on the quality of several mango cultivars (Mangifera indicaL.). This research was carried out from July to November 2021 at the Laboratory of Agriculture Faculty, Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati. The research method used was the experimental method with a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The factor tested was a combination of mango cultivars (Gedong Gincu, Arumanis, Cengkir, and Lalijiwo) and harvest age (60, 75, 90, 105, and 120 days after the flower blooms). The treatment was repeated 2 times so that 40 trials were obtained. The variables age observed were fresh fruit weight, fruit weight loss, fruit hardness, vitamin C, and total dissolved solids. The results showed that Arumanis and Cengkir fruit weights of 90-120 days after blooming (DAB) were higher than other cultivars. The lowest weight loss occurred in Gedong Gincu and Arumanis at 120 DAB, vitamin C content and total soluble solids were obtained in Gedong Gincu, Cengkir, and Lalijiwo at 120 DAB. The best harvest age for all cultivars was between 90 – 120 DAB

Predictors of in-hospital mortality in HIV-infected patients with COVID-19

Background Underlying immunodeficiency is associated with severe COVID-19, but the prognosis of persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH) with COVID-19 is under debate. Aim: assessment of the mortality rate and major determinants of death in HIV-infected patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Spain before vaccine availability. Design: Retrospective nationwide public database analysis. Methods Nationwide, retrospective, observational analysis of all hospitalizations with COVID-19 during year 2020 in Spain. Stratification was made according to HIV status. The National Registry of Hospital Discharges was used with the ICD-10 coding list. Results A total of 117 694 adults were hospitalized with COVID-19 during 2020. Only 234 (0.2%) were HIV-positives. More than 95% were on antiretroviral therapy. Compared to HIV-negatives, PWH were younger (mean age 53.2 vs. 66.5 years old; P<0.001) and more frequently male (74.8% vs. 56.6%; P<0.001). Most co-morbidities predisposing to severe COVID-19 (diabetes, hypertension, dementia and cardiovascular disease) were more frequent in HIV-negatives. In contrast, the rate of baseline liver disease was over 6-fold higher in PWH (27.4% vs. 4.4%; P<0.001). In-hospital mortality was lower in PWH (9.4% vs. 16%; P=0.004). In multivariate analysis, older age, dementia and especially advanced liver disease (relative risk (RR): 7.6) were the major determinants of death in PWH hospitalized with COVID-19. Conclusion HIV-infected patients hospitalized in Spain with COVID-19 during 2020 had better survival than HIV-negatives, most likely explained by younger age and lower rate of co-morbidities. However, advanced liver disease was a major predictor of death in PWH hospitalized with COVID-19

A Cross‐Sectional Assessment of Frailty, Falls and Perceptions of Ageing in People Living with HIV Using an mHealth Platform

Objective: To evaluate frailty, falls and perceptions of ageing among clinically stable individuals with HIV, engaged with remote healthcare delivered via a novel smartphone application. Methods: This was a multi-centre European cross-sectional, questionnaire-based sub-study of EmERGE participants. Frailty was assessed using the five-item FRAIL scale. Present criteria were summed and categorized as follows: 0, robust; 1-2, pre-frail; 3-5, frail. Falls history and EQ-5D-5L quality of life measure were completed. Participants were asked their felt age and personal satisfaction with ageing. Results: A total of 1373 participated, with a mean age of 45 (± 9.8) years. Frailty was uncommon at 2%; 12.4% fell in the previous year, 58.8% of these recurrently. Mood symptoms and pain were prevalent, at 43.3% and 31.8%, respectively. Ageing satisfaction was high at 76.4%, with 74.6% feeling younger than their chronological age; the mean felt age was 39.3 years. In multivariable analysis, mood symptoms and pain were positively associated with frailty, falls and ageing dissatisfaction. An increase in pain severity and mood symptoms were respectively associated with 34% and 63% increased odds of pre-frailty/frailty. An increment in pain symptoms was associated with a 71% increase in odds of falling. Pain was associated with ageing poorly, as were mood symptoms, with odds of dissatisfaction increasing by 34% per increment in severity. Conclusions: Although uncommon, frailty, falls and ageing dissatisfaction were seen in a younger cohort with medically stable HIV infection using a remote care model, promoting screening as advocated by European guidelines. These were more common in those with pain or mood symptoms, which should be proactively managed in clinical care and explored further in future research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estimation of herbicide resistance in grass weeds with a bioassay

Ein Biotestverfahren zum Nachweis von Herbizidresistenzen bei Alopecurus myosuroides Huds. und Apera spica-venti (L.) P.B. wird beschrieben. Getestet wurden Verdachtsherkünfte im Vergleich zu sensitiven und resistenten Referenzherkünften mit verschiedenen Herbiziden und Aufwandmengen. Geprüft wurden 1/2N, 1N und 2N der zugelassenen Aufwandmenge. Darüberhinaus wurden für ausgewählte Herkünfte und Herbizide Dosiswirkungskurven mit zusätzlichen Aufwandmengen erstellt und Resistenzfaktoren berechnet. Bei einigen Herkünften konnte für einzelne Wirkstoffe eine Herbizidresistenz nachgewiesen werden. Die Biotestmethode hat sich als geeignetes Verfahren zur Erkennung von Herbizidresistenzen bei Ungräsern erwiesen.A bioassay method for the detection of herbicide resistance for Alopecurus myosuroides Huds. and Apera spica-venti (L.) P.B. is described. Different suspicion provenances were analysed in comparison to sensitive and resistant reference provenances with different herbicides and dosages. Tested were 1/2N, 1N and 2N of the registered application rate. Furthermore dose response relationships with additional dosages were estimated for selected populations and herbicides and resistance factors were calculated. For some populations herbicide resistance could be estimated for single herbicides. The bioassay method has shown itself to be an appropriate procedure for the identification of herbicide resistance