Investigation of scaling effect on power factor of permanent magnet Vernier machines for wind power application

This study investigates the scaling effect on power factor of surface mounted permanent magnet Vernier (SPM-V) machines with power ratings ranging from 3 kW, 500 kW, 3 MW to 10 MW. For each power rating, different slot/pole number combinations have been considered to study the influence of key parameters including inter-pole magnet leakage and stator slot leakage on power factor. A detailed analytical modelling, incorporating these key parameters, is presented and validated with two-dimensional finite-element analysis for different power ratings and slot/pole number combinations. The study has revealed that with scaling (increasing power level), significant increase in electrical loading combined with the increased leakage fluxes, i.e. (i) magnet leakage flux due to large coil pitch to rotor pole pitch ratio, (ii) magnet inter-pole leakage flux and (iii) stator slot leakage flux, reduces the ratio of armature flux linkage to permanent magnet flux linkage and thereby has a detrimental effect on the power factor. Therefore, unlike conventional SPM machines, the power factor of SPM-V machines is found to be significantly reduced at high power ratings

Effects of a respiratory functional training program on pain and sleep quality in patients with fibromyalgia: A pilot study

Objective: To evaluate the effect of 8-week respiratory functional training program on pain tolerance, sleep, and urinary antioxidant and cortisol levels in 18 patients with fibromyalgia. Methods: Participants underwent a 12-week intervention: 4 weeks as control and 8 weeks of breathing exercises. Pain tolerance assay was done by using an algometer, whereas sleep quality was evaluated by actigraphy and by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Cortisol and antioxidant levels were determined using commercial assay kits. Results: Increases in the pain tolerance threshold were detected in the occiput point after one month of intervention as well as in the low cervical and second rib points after one and two months. Actigraphy revealed a decrease in sleep latency, whereas sleep questionnaire showed improvements in sleep quality, sleep duration and sleep efficiency. No changes in cortisol and antioxidant levels were detected. Conclusion: The 8-week breathing exercise intervention reduced pain and improved sleep quality

Human papillomavirus status and cervical abnormalities in women from public and private health care in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil Papilomavírus humano e anormalidades cervicais em mulheres do sistema de saúde privado e público no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

This article reports the HPV status and cervical cytological abnormalities in patients attended at public and private gynecological services from Rio de Janeiro State. It also comments the performance of each HPV DNA tests used. A set of 454 women from private health clinics was tested by routine Capture Hybrid II HPV DNA assay. Among these, 58.4% presented HPV and nearly 90% of them were infected by high risk HPV types. However, this group presented few premalignant cervical lesions and no invasive cervical cancer was registered. We also studied 220 women from low income class attended at public health system. They were HPV tested by polymerase chain reaction using My09/11 primers followed by HPV typing with E6 specific primers. The overall HPV prevalence was 77.3%. They also showed a high percentage of high squamous intraepithelial lesion-HSIL (26.3%), and invasive cervical carcinoma (16.3%). HPV infection was found in 93.1% and 94.4% of them, respectively. The mean ages in both groups were 31.5 and 38 years, respectively. In series 1, HPV prevalence declined with age, data consistent with viral transient infection. In series 2, HPV prevalence did not decline, independent of age interval, supporting not only the idea of viral persistence into this group, but also regional epidemiological variations in the same geographic area. Significant cytological differences were seen between both groups. Normal and benign cases were the most prevalent cytological findings in series 1 while pre-malignant lesions were the most common diagnosis in the series 2. HPV prevalence in normal cases were statistically higher than those from series 1 (p < 0.001), indicating a higher exposure to HPV infection. Women from both samples were referred for previous abnormal cytology. However, socio-demographic evidence shows that women from series 1 have access to treatment more easily and faster than women from series 2 before the development of pre-malignant lesions. These data provides baseline support for the role of social inequalities linked to high risk HPV infection leading to cervical cancer. Broadly screening programs and the development of safe and effective vaccines against HPV would diminish the toll of this disease that affect mainly poor women.<br>Este artigo analisa a infecção por HPV e anormalidades citológicas cervicais encontradas em pacientes atendidas em serviços ginecológicos dos sistemas de saúde público e privado do estado do Rio de Janeiro. O trabalho também avalia os testes utilizados para detecção de DNA do HPV em cada população estudada. Um grupo de 454 mulheres oriundas de serviços da rede privada de saúde foi testado por Captura do Híbrido II. Destas, 58,4% apresentaram infecção por HPV e cerca de 90% delas estavam infectadas por HPV de alto risco. Este grupo, entretanto, apresentava poucos casos de lesões cervicais pré-malígnas e nenhum caso de câncer. Estudamos, também, 220 mulheres de baixo nível econômico atendidas no serviço de saúde pública que foram testadas para HPV pela reação da polimerase em cadeia utilizando-se os oligonucleotídeos My09/My11. A identificação dos tipos foi efetuada por amplificação com oligonucleotídeos específicos para a região E6 do genoma viral. A prevalência de HPV nesta população foi de 77.3%, observando-se uma alta porcentagem de casos de neoplasias intraepiteliais cervicais de alto grau (26,3%) e de carcinoma cervical invasivo (16,3%). A infecção por HPV foi achada em, respectivamente, 93,1% e 94,4% destes casos. A média de idade em ambos os grupos era de 31,5 e 38 anos, respectivamente. Na série 1, a prevalência da infecção por HPV decresce com a idade, enquanto na série 2 ela não desaparece, dando suporte não só à idéia de persistência viral neste grupo, mas também a variações epidemiológicas na mesma área geográfica. Diferenças significativas foram vistas nos dois grupos. Casos normais e benignos foram incidentes na série 1, enquanto as lesões malígnas predominaram na série 2. Ao contrário, casos normais infectados por HPV eram prevalentes na série 2 (p < 0.001), indicando maior exposição ao vírus. Embora as mulheres de ambos os grupos tenham sido incluídas no estudo por apresentarem citologia anormal, evidências sócio-demográficas demonstram que mulheres da série 1 tem acesso mais fácil e rápido ao tratamento do que as mulheres da série 2 antes que as lesões pré-malígnas se desenvolvam. Estes resultados fornecem dados sobre o papel das desigualdades sociais associadas à infecção por HPV de alto risco na progressão do câncer cervical. Programas de prevenção abrangentes e o desenvolvimento de vacinas eficazes e seguras contra o HPV poderiam reduzir o tributo desta doença que afeta principalmente mulheres pobres

Cis-eQTL analysis and functional validation of candidate susceptibility genes for high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Contains fulltext : 154767.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Genome-wide association studies have reported 11 regions conferring risk of high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analyses can identify candidate susceptibility genes at risk loci. Here we evaluate cis-eQTL associations at 47 regions associated with HGSOC risk (P</=10(-5)). For three cis-eQTL associations (P<1.4 x 10(-3), FDR<0.05) at 1p36 (CDC42), 1p34 (CDCA8) and 2q31 (HOXD9), we evaluate the functional role of each candidate by perturbing expression of each gene in HGSOC precursor cells. Overexpression of HOXD9 increases anchorage-independent growth, shortens population-doubling time and reduces contact inhibition. Chromosome conformation capture identifies an interaction between rs2857532 and the HOXD9 promoter, suggesting this SNP is a leading causal variant. Transcriptomic profiling after HOXD9 overexpression reveals enrichment of HGSOC risk variants within HOXD9 target genes (P=6 x 10(-10) for risk variants (P<10(-4)) within 10 kb of a HOXD9 target gene in ovarian cells), suggesting a broader role for this network in genetic susceptibility to HGSOC

Common Genetic Variation In Cellular Transport Genes and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) Risk

Contains fulltext : 154822.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Defective cellular transport processes can lead to aberrant accumulation of trace elements, iron, small molecules and hormones in the cell, which in turn may promote the formation of reactive oxygen species, promoting DNA damage and aberrant expression of key regulatory cancer genes. As DNA damage and uncontrolled proliferation are hallmarks of cancer, including epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), we hypothesized that inherited variation in the cellular transport genes contributes to EOC risk. METHODS: In total, DNA samples were obtained from 14,525 case subjects with invasive EOC and from 23,447 controls from 43 sites in the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC). Two hundred seventy nine SNPs, representing 131 genes, were genotyped using an Illumina Infinium iSelect BeadChip as part of the Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study (COGS). SNP analyses were conducted using unconditional logistic regression under a log-additive model, and the FDR q<0.2 was applied to adjust for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: The most significant evidence of an association for all invasive cancers combined and for the serous subtype was observed for SNP rs17216603 in the iron transporter gene HEPH (invasive: OR = 0.85, P = 0.00026; serous: OR = 0.81, P = 0.00020); this SNP was also associated with the borderline/low malignant potential (LMP) tumors (P = 0.021). Other genes significantly associated with EOC histological subtypes (p<0.05) included the UGT1A (endometrioid), SLC25A45 (mucinous), SLC39A11 (low malignant potential), and SERPINA7 (clear cell carcinoma). In addition, 1785 SNPs in six genes (HEPH, MGST1, SERPINA, SLC25A45, SLC39A11 and UGT1A) were imputed from the 1000 Genomes Project and examined for association with INV EOC in white-European subjects. The most significant imputed SNP was rs117729793 in SLC39A11 (per allele, OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.5-4.35, p = 5.66x10-4). CONCLUSION: These results, generated on a large cohort of women, revealed associations between inherited cellular transport gene variants and risk of EOC histologic subtypes