Experimental Results on Advanced Rotary Desiccant Dehumidifiers

The Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) has developed the Cyclic Test Facility (CTF) to develop and validate analytical methods for evaluating and predicting the performance of advanced rotary dehumidifiers. This paper describes the CTF, the dehumidifiers tested at the CTF, and the analytical methods used. The results reported provide an engineering data base and a design tool for evaluating rotary dehumidifiers for desiccant cooling applications

Online health information seeking among people with diabetes mellitus and its association with self-management

Diabetes requires dedicated self-management to be able to achieve good control and outcome as this is a lifelong condition. The internet offers an amazing wealth of health information which may influence diabetes self-management. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of online health information seeking among people with diabetes and its associated factors. About 380 participants answered the online health information seeking questionnaire developed from literature search and expert panel review. Diabetes Self-Management was assessed using the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ). The prevalence of online health information seeking among people with diabetes was 38.4%. Common information sought included diabetes treatment (82.9%) lifestyle modification (77.4%) and diabetes prevention (67.3%). A large majority (93.1%) felt that the online information on diabetes was useful. Doctors and printed reading materials were the most common sources of information for diabetes (94.2% & 65.3%). Lower median age (59 years, IQR = 11), having a family member with diabetes, (COR = 1.188) tertiary education (COR = 6.037) and those who are employed (COR = 3.880) have higher odds of seeking online diabetes related health information. However, there was no significant association between online health information seeking and diabetes self-management. Prevalence of online health information seeking among people with diabetes was at an acceptable level. However, it was not associated with optimal diabetic self-management. Doctors and printed information remain as popular sources of information and hence should be maintained

Результаты внедрения новой формы управляемой самостоятельной работы студентов в учебный процесс на кафедре патофизиологии

МЕДИЦИНСКИЕ ИНСТИТУТЫОБУЧЕНИ

Study of surface morphology in DC and pulse plating of silver alloy

128-132The objective of this work is to make a comparative study of dc and pulse plating of silver on silver alloy. The dc and pulsed electro deposition of silver on silver alloy is analyzed from an alkaline cyanide bath with brightener. Pulse duty cycles of 20 to 80%, at frequencies 10, 25, 50 and 100 Hz with peak current densities of 3.21, 3.75 and 4.55 A/dm2 are employed. The influences of peak current density on the thickness and current efficiency of the plating process are studied. The surface morphology is characterized by SEM and XRD. Less porosity and fine grains are formed by pulse plating compared to that formed by dc plating

An evaluation of coastal sand dune flora of Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India: perspectives for conservation and management

International audienceMost of the sand dunes close to the Cuddalore coast of India have been destroyed due to human pressure. The remaining coastal sand dune (CSD) is under extreme threat due to unplanned development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the species diversity, plant communities in different morphological types, spatial-temporal changes in the distribution of sand dunes, and the state of their conservation. In the coastal dunes of Cuddalore, 25 perpendicular transects parallel to the coast were sampled. Following analysis, 105 vascular plants from 39 plant families and 85 genera were identified as part of the CSD flora. The least disturbed sites harbored more species than the heavily disturbed sites. Members of the Poaceae and Fabaceae families dominated the flora, and 68% of the species in the dunes were herbaceous. The sand dune cover is significantly reduced and fragmented in various parts of the study area, and negative changes have been observed at a rate of more than 100 ha per year between 2003 and 2020. A CSD conservation policy that ensures species succession in the form of a three-layered zone is proposed as a long-term sustainable option for preserving Cuddalore coastal flora biodiversity

Wood and leaf strategies in a low-elevation rainforest of Western Ghats

International audienc

Canopy and understory tree guilds respond differently to the environment in an Indian rainforest

International audienceQuestions: Changes in the functional composition of tree communities along resource availability gradients have received attention, but it is unclear whether or not understory and canopy guilds respond similarly to different light, biomechanical, and hydraulic constraints. Location: An anthropically-undisturbed, old-growth wet evergreen Dipterocarp forest plot located in Karnataka State, India. Methods: We measured leaf and wood traits of 89 tree species representing 99% of all individuals in a 10 ha permanent plot with varying topographic and canopy conditions inferred from LiDAR data. We assigned tree species to guilds of canopy and understory species and assessed the variation of the guild weighted means of functional trait values with canopy height and topography. Results: The functional trait space did not differ between canopy and understory tree species. However, environmental filtering led to significantly different functional composition of canopy and understory guild assemblages. Furthermore, they responded differently along environmental gradients related to water, nutrients, light, and wind exposure. For example, the canopy guild responded to wind exposure while the understory guild did not. Conclusions environmental heterogeneity impacts differently on these two guilds, generating striking differences in functional composition between understory and canopy guild assemblages. Accounting for vertical guilds improves our understanding of forest communities’ assembly processes

Peripheral loss of CD8+CD161++TCRVα7·2+ mucosal-associated invariant T cells in chronic hepatitis C virus-infected patients

Background: Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells play an important role in innate host defence. MAIT cells appear to undergo exhaustion and are functionally weakened in chronic viral infections. However, their role in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains unclear. Materials and methods: We investigated the frequency of CD8+CD161++TCR Vα7.2+ MAIT cells in a cross-sectional cohort of chronic HCV-infected patients (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 25). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were investigated for circulating MAIT cell frequency, liver-homing (CCR5 and CD103), biomarkers of immune exhaustion (PD-1, TIM-3 and CTLA-4), chronic immune activation (CD38 and HLA-DR), and immunosenescence (CD57) by flow cytometry. Results: The frequency of MAIT cells was significantly decreased, and increased signs of immune exhaustion and chronic immune activation were clearly evident on MAIT cells of HCV-infected patients. Decrease of CCR5 on circulating MAIT cells is suggestive of their peripheral loss in chronic HCV-infected patients. MAIT cells also showed significantly increased levels of HLA-DR, CD38, PD-1, TIM-3 and CTLA-4, besides CD57 in chronic HCV disease. Conclusions: Immune exhaustion and senescence of CD8+CD161++TCR Vα7.2+ MAIT cells could contribute to diminished innate defence attributes likely facilitating viral persistence and HCV disease progression