Cross-comparative analysis of loads and power of pitching floating offshore wind turbine rotors using frequency-domain Navier-Stokes CFD and blade element momentum theory

Reliable predictions of the aero- and hydrodynamic loads acting on floating offshore wind turbines are paramount for assessing fatigue life, designing load and power control systems, and ensuring the overall system stability at all operating conditions. However, significant uncertainty affecting both predictions still exists. This study presents a cross-comparative analysis of the predictions of the aerodynamic loads and power of floating wind turbine rotors using a validated frequency-domain Navier-Stokes Computational Fluid Dynamics solver, and a state-of-the-art Blade Element Momentum theory code. The considered test case is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5 MW turbine, assumed to be mounted on a semi-submersible platform. The rotor load and power response at different pitching regimes is assessed and compared using both the high- and low-fidelity methods. The overall qualitative agreement of the two prediction sets is found to be excellent in all cases. At a quantitative level, the high- and low-fidelity predictions of both the mean rotor thrust and the blade out-of-plane bending moments differ by about 1 percent, whereas those of the mean rotor power differ by about 6 percent. Part of these differences at high pitching amplitude appear to depend on differences in dynamic stall predictions of the approaches

Association Between Response to Etrolizumab and Expression of Integrin αE and Granzyme A in Colon Biopsies of Patients With Ulcerative Colitis

Background & AimsEtrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody against the β7 integrin subunit that has shown efficacy vs placebo in patients with moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC). Patients with colon tissues that expressed high levels of the integrin αE gene (ITGAE) appeared to have the best response. We compared differences in colonic expression of ITGAE and other genes between patients who achieved clinical remission with etrolizumab vs those who did.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of data collected from 110 patients with UC who participated in a phase 2 placebo-controlled trial of etrolizumab, as well as from 21 patients with UC or without inflammatory bowel disease (controls) enrolled in an observational study at a separate site. Colon biopsies were collected from patients in both studies and analyzed by immunohistochemistry and gene expression profiling. Mononuclear cells were isolated and analyzed by flow cytometry. We identified biomarkers associated with response to etrolizumab. In the placebo-controlled trial, clinical remission was defined as total Mayo Clinic Score ≤2, with no individual subscore >1, and mucosal healing was defined as endoscopic score ≤1.ResultsColon tissues collected at baseline from patients who had a clinical response to etrolizumab expressed higher levels of T-cell−associated genes than patients who did not respond (P < .05). Colonic CD4+ integrin αE+ cells from patients with UC expressed higher levels of granzyme A messenger RNA (GZMA mRNA) than CD4+ αE− cells (P < .0001); granzyme A and integrin αE protein were detected in the same cells. Of patients receiving 100 mg etrolizumab, a higher proportion of those with high levels of GZMA mRNA (41%) or ITGAE mRNA (38%) than those with low levels of GZMA (6%) or ITGAE mRNA (13%) achieved clinical remission (P < .05) and mucosal healing (41% GZMAhigh vs 19% GZMAlow and 44% ITGAEhigh vs 19% ITGAElow). Compared with ITGAElow and GZMAlow patients, patients with ITGAEhigh and GZMAhigh had higher baseline numbers of epithelial crypt-associated integrin αE+ cells (P < .01 for both), but a smaller number of crypt-associated integrin αE+ cells after etrolizumab treatment (P < .05 for both). After 10 weeks of etrolizumab treatment, expression of genes associated with T-cell activation and genes encoding inflammatory cytokines decreased by 40%−80% from baseline (P < .05) in patients with colon tissues expressing high levels of GZMA at baseline.ConclusionsLevels of GZMA and ITGAE mRNAs in colon tissues can identify patients with UC who are most likely to benefit from etrolizumab; expression levels decrease with etrolizumab administration in biomarkerhigh patients. Larger, prospective studies of markers are needed to assess their clinical value

Observing the Evolution of the Universe

How did the universe evolve? The fine angular scale (l>1000) temperature and polarization anisotropies in the CMB are a Rosetta stone for understanding the evolution of the universe. Through detailed measurements one may address everything from the physics of the birth of the universe to the history of star formation and the process by which galaxies formed. One may in addition track the evolution of the dark energy and discover the net neutrino mass. We are at the dawn of a new era in which hundreds of square degrees of sky can be mapped with arcminute resolution and sensitivities measured in microKelvin. Acquiring these data requires the use of special purpose telescopes such as the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), located in Chile, and the South Pole Telescope (SPT). These new telescopes are outfitted with a new generation of custom mm-wave kilo-pixel arrays. Additional instruments are in the planning stages.Comment: Science White Paper submitted to the US Astro2010 Decadal Survey. Full list of 177 author available at http://cmbpol.uchicago.ed

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

2018 Research & Innovation Day Program

A one day showcase of applied research, social innovation, scholarship projects and activities.https://first.fanshawec.ca/cri_cripublications/1005/thumbnail.jp

Proceedings of Patient Reported Outcome Measure’s (PROMs) Conference Oxford 2017: Advances in Patient Reported Outcomes Research

A33-Effects of Out-of-Pocket (OOP) Payments and Financial Distress on Quality of Life (QoL) of People with Parkinson’s (PwP) and their Carer