Priorities for use of passive and active solar systems in cold climate buildings.

Increasing consumption of energy derived from fossil fuels while has caused rapid economic growth in different communities, due to pollutant emission and its consequences, has faced the world with risky changes as well. Limitation of this non-renewable sources cased that energy consumption optimization policy become the governments work programs outline. On the other hand, growth of science and technology in the world has led to transformation of the commonly used methods of energy consumption, and discovering new energy sources has caused a major evolution in development of human societies. In this regard, the relatively simple technology, not  polluting the environment etc. are the reasons that make the necessity of using solar energy more and more evident. Since most of the energy is consumed in buildings, functional identification of optimization systems in buildings is essential. The present study aimed to introduce, evaluate, and set priorities for use of energy systems in buildings. To this aim, first, all systems were identified and their fields of application were specified. Then, in a comparative study, the priorities for use of the systems and their application were examined in building sector.Key words: energy, solar system, active systems, passive systems

Insulinoma Presenting with Psychiatric Manifestations: A Case Report

Insulinomas, the most common of pancreatic endocrine tumors, usually present with neuroglycopenic and adrenergic features. Chronic or long standing recurrent hypogycaemia can produce intellectual deterioration and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Diagnosis of insulinoma relies on clinical features along with laboratory tests and imaging investigations to aid in localization. A 32-year-old male who presented with prominent neuropsychiatric manifestations and received anti-epileptics as a case of epilepsy and was ultimately diagnosed as insulinoma is reported here. The patient experienced fasting hypoglycemia with neuropsychiatric manifestations; computerized tomography (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a diffusely enhanced mass in the head area of pancreas which was histopathologically found to be an insulinoma after hand assisted laparoscopic enucleation. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and is curative in most cases. Key words: Insulinoma; Psychiatric Manifestation.DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i1.3710 BSMMU J 2009; 2(1): 39-4

Synthesis and characterization of VO2-based thermochromic thin films for energy-efficient windows

Thermochromic VO2 thin films have successfully been grown on SiO2-coated float glass by reactive DC and pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering. The influence of substitutional doping of V by higher valence cations, such as W, Mo, and Nb, and respective contents on the crystal structure of VO2 is evaluated. Moreover, the effectiveness of each dopant element on the reduction of the intrinsic transition temperature and infrared modulation efficiency of VO2 is discussed. In summary, all the dopant elements--regardless of the concentration, within the studied range-- formed a solid solution with VO2, which was the only compound observed by X-ray diffractometry. Nb showed a clear detrimental effect on the crystal structure of VO2. The undoped films presented a marked thermochromic behavior, specially the one prepared by pulsed-DC sputtering. The dopants effectively decreased the transition of VO2 to the proximity of room temperature. However, the IR modulation efficiency is markedly affected as a consequence of the increased metallic character of the semiconducting phase. Tungsten proved to be the most effective element on the reduction of the semiconducting-metal transition temperature, while Mo and Nb showed similar results with the latter being detrimental to the thermochromism

Clinical Experience with Insulin Detemir: Results from the Bangladesh Cohort of Global A 1 chieve Study

Abstract Objective: To present results from the Bangladesh cohort of the A 1 chieve study receiving insulin detemir (Levemir) ± oral anti diabetic drugs. Methods: Out of 1093 patients recruited from 49 sites in Bangladesh, 370 were initiated on insulin detemir (Levemir).Study visits were defined as baseline, interim (around 12 weeks from baseline) and final (around 24 weeks from baseline) visit. Results: Glycaemic control was poor in all the groups at baseline. In the entire cohort at 24 weeks, significant reductions from baseline were observed in mean HbA 1c (from 10.0 % to 7.2%, p<0.001), FPG (from 10.5 to 6.7 mmol/L, p<0.001) and PPPG (from 15.3 to 8.9 mmol/L, p<0.001) levels. Overall 45.5% of th

Hybrid Approach in Microscale Transport Phenomena: Application to Biodiesel Synthesis in Micro-reactors

A hybrid engineering approach to the study of transport phenomena, based on the synergy among computational, analytical, and experimental methodologies is reviewed. The focus of the chapter is on fundamental analysis and proof of concept developments in the use of nano- and micro-technologies for energy efficiency and heat and mass transfer enhancement applications. The hybrid approach described herein combines improved lumped-differential modeling, hybrid numericalanalytical solution methods, mixed symbolic-numerical computations, and advanced experimental techniques for micro-scale transport phenomena. An application dealing with micro-reactors for continuous synthesis of biodiesel is selected to demonstrate the instrumental role of the hybrid approach in achieving improved design and enhanced performance

48 Insulinoma Presenting with Psychiatric Manifestations: A Case Report

Insulinomas, the most common of pancreatic endocrine tumors, usually present with neuroglycopenic and adrenergic features. Chronic or long standing recurrent hypogycaemia can produce intellectual deterioration and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Diagnosis of insulinoma relies on clinical features along with laboratory tests and imaging investigations to aid in localization. A 32-year-old male who presented with prominent neuropsychiatric manifestations and received anti-epileptics as a case of epilepsy and was ultimately diagnosed as insulinoma is reported here. The patient experienced fasting hypoglycemia with neuropsychiatric manifestations; computerized tomography (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a diffusely enhanced mass in the head area of pancreas which was histopathologically found to be an insulinoma after hand assisted laparoscopic enucleation. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and is curative in most cases