To study the influence of cooling holes in a combustor using CFD

Combustion process is the complex phenomena involving the principles of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and the chemical kinetics, which occurs in the limited space available inside the combustor. Moreover, proper combustion is the essence to enhance overall combustor efficiency. Combustor liner is provided with the cooling slots i.e. Film cooling and effusion cooling, to accomplice complete combustion and giving optimum temperature gradient required by the turbine blade. These cooling procedures will protect vulnerable combustor liner from hot combusted gas. In order to evince the effect of cooling slots, approach has been made to analyze combustor geometry using the application of CFD tools

A multi-omics analysis of bone morphogenetic protein 5 (BMP5) mRNA expression and clinical prognostic outcomes in different cancers using bioinformatics approaches

Cumulative studies have provided controversial evidence for the prognostic values of bone morphogenetic protein 5 (BMP5) in different types of cancers such as colon, breast, lung, bladder, and ovarian cancer. To address the inconsistent correlation of BMP5 expression with patient survival and molecular function of BMP5 in relation to cancer progression, we performed a systematic study to determine whether BMP5 could be used as a prognostic marker in human cancers. BMP5 expression and prognostic values were assessed using different bioinformatics tools such as ONCOMINE, GENT, TCGA, GEPIA, UALCAN, PrognoScan, PROGgene V2 server, and Kaplan–Meier Plotter. In addition, we used cBioPortal database for the identification and analysis of BMP5 mutations, copy number alterations, altered expression, and protein–protein interaction (PPI). We found that BMP5 is frequently down-regulated in our queried cancer types. Use of prognostic analysis showed negative association of BMP5 down-regulation with four types of cancer except for ovarian cancer. The highest mutation was found in the R321*/Q amino acid of BMP5 corresponding to colorectal and breast cancer whereas the alteration frequency was higher in lung squamous carcinoma datasets (>4%). In PPI analysis, we found 31 protein partners of BMP5, among which 11 showed significant co-expression (p-value 1). Pathway analysis of differentially co-expressed genes with BMP5 in breast, lung, colon, bladder and ovarian cancers revealed the BMP5-correlated pathways. Collectively, this data-driven study demonstrates the correlation of BMP5 expression with patient survival and identifies the involvement of BMP5 pathways that may serve as targets of a novel biomarker for various types of cancers in human

Respiratory, Neurological and Other Health Outcomes among Plastic Factory Workers in Gazipur, Bangladesh

Background: Approximately three thousand plastic goods manufacturing factories (PGMF) are currently operating in Bangladesh involving numerous workers. Associated health problems of these workers are largely unknown. The key objectives of the current study were identifying plastic chemical exposures related health outcomes in these workers and comparing these outcomes before and after their joining in PGMFs. In addition, we aimed to investigate the relationships between work duration and the prevalence of health ailments among workers. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out among factory workers (n=405) at six PGMFs in Gazipur district in Bangladesh. A simple random sampling method had been applied to select participants and data on their self-reported exposures to chemicals and associated respiratory, neurological, and other multiple health outcomes were collected through a validated questionnaire survey. Data were analyzed using different descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The categorical variables and continuous variables were interpreted using frequency distribution and standard deviation (SD) respectively. A Pearson chi-square (χ2) test was applied to evaluate the correlation between work duration and health outcomes. A p-value Results: The average age and work duration of the workers were 25.63±6.85 and 3.49±3.53 years, respectively, implying that most workers were young, and spent over 10% of their lifetime in PGMFs work. Most common health outcomes reported by the workers were nasal discharges: 60 (14.9%), headaches: 76 (18.9%), fatigues: 112 (27.8%), losses of appetites: 108 (26.8%), urination problems: 61 (13.1%), losses of body weights: 102 (25.3%), and nervousness: 70 (17.4%). Among the common health outcomes only headache (p=0.005); fatigue (p=0.04); urination problem (p=p=0.004) were significantly associated with the work duration. Furthermore, except for hypertension and tarry stool, all health outcomes among workers differ significantly before and after joining in PGMFs. Conclusion: This study first time identified important health outcomes of the PGMFs workers and generated baseline information on common health outcomes of the PGMFs workers in developing countries like Bangladesh. However, it might be important to identify potential causes of such health outcomes in PGMFs workers considering both biomarkers of exposures and real-time environmental samples to understand the disease pathology and to recommend mitigation measures to be taken by occupational health policymakers and practitioners in developing countries

Evaluation of antihyperglycemic activities of Bangladeshi medicinal plant Cinnamomum tamala Leaf extracts in alloxan treated Albino Rats

Background: Diabetic mellitus is a multifactorial disorder associated with its devastating consequences has assumed epidemic proportion in Bangladesh.Methods: The study evaluates the anti-hyperglycemic activity of the aqueous extracts of C. tamala (CTLEt) leaves in blood glucose of albino rats. Type II diabetes mellitus was induced by injecting alloxan at the concentration of 100mg/kg body weight in male albino rats. The diabetic rats were administered orally with aqueous CTLEt at the amount of 1.0ml, 1.5ml and 2.0ml with lab diet and glibenclamide (5mg/kg of body weight). Then blood glucose levels were estimated in all groups after 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours and 18 hours of the treatment with CTLEt and a known antidiabetic drug glibenclamide.Results: A comparison was made between the action of CTLEt and glibenclamide. Blood glucose levels of the CTLEt on 18th hours of the study were 8.6 to 5.1mmol/L (1ml CTLEt with lab diet), 10.4 to 4.9mmol/L (1.5ml CTLEt with lab diet), 14.7 to 4.3mmol/L (2.0ml CTLEt with lab diet) in comparison of diabetic control (9.5 to 8.5, 8.7 to 7.8, 7.7 to 7.1mmol/L) and glibenclamide (13.9 to 6.5, 16.3 to 6.1, 9.5 to 5.1mmol/L). Among the sample level, the 2.0ml CTLEt showed a higher efficiency of hypoglycemic effect on alloxan induced diabetic rats.Conclusions: Till date, there is no specific experimental work in Bangladesh about the evolution of antidiabetic activity of C. tamala plant in animal model. Further studies should be undertaken to find out the molecular mechanism of the leaf powder of C. tamala medicinal plant

Measurement of Heat and Pressure Induced Denaturation of Whey Protein Isolate Using Reversed-Phase HPLC and FTIR-Spectroscopy

The protein molecules experience various external stresses leading to denaturation of protein during the process of transforming original whey to the concentrated whey proteins or while the concentrated proteins are used in the protein-enriched food formulation. This study was designed for a comparative assessment of the denaturation of whey protein isolate (WPI) under an important thermal stress, isothermal heat treatment (IHT), and high hydrostatic pressure treatment (HPT). The type and extent of denaturation were determined using reversed-phase HPLC and FTIR spectroscopy. The HPLC results demonstrated that the isothermal heat treatment caused higher denaturation of protein due to IHT at 80oC for 600s (88.38%) than that of HPT (58.5%). However, the infra-red spectroscopic analyses suggested that the HPT caused severe destruction of the structural conformation of WPI. The state of protein has a great impact on food formation; hence, the findings of this study would alert the concentrate protein producers and protein-enriched food manufacturers to prepare more active functional foods. HIGHLIGHTS  Heat (IHT) and pressure (HPT) stresses caused 88% and 58% WPI to denature, respectively.  Reversed phase-HPLC determined the denatured protein through aggregation. FTIR together with HPLC is required for better characterization of denatured protein

Impact of nutrient management on the yield performance of some aromatic fine rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties in Boro season

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during November 2016 to April 2017 to study the impact of nutrient management on the performance of aromatic fine rice in Boro season. The experiment comprised three varieties viz., BRRI dhan50, Basmati and BRRI dhan63; and  seven nutrient managements viz., poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1, recommended dose of chemical fertilizers (i.e. 250, 126, 120, 100 and 10 kg N-P-K-S-Zn, respectively ha-1), 25% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1, 50% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1, vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1, 25% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + vermicompost 5 t ha-1, 50% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that variety, nutrient management and their interaction exerted significant influence on yield components and yield of aromatic fine rice in Boro season. The highest grain yield (4.09 t ha-1), straw yield (6.20 t ha-1) and harvest index (39.37%) were obtained in BRRI dhan63 while the lowest grain yield (3.44 t ha-1) and harvest index (36.54%) were found in Basmati.  In case of nutrient management, the highest grain yield (4.31 t ha-1) was recorded in recommended dose of chemical fertilizers (i.e. 250, 126, 120, 100 and 10 kg N-P-K-S-Zn, respectively ha-1) which was as good as 25% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1and 25% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1 while the lowest one (2.74 t ha-1) was found in vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1. In case of interaction, the highest grain yield (5.30 t ha-1) was obtained in BRRI dhan63 along with 50% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1 while the highest straw yield (7.20 t ha-1) was produced in BRRI dhan63 fertilized with recommended dose of chemical fertilizers (i.e. 250, 126, 120, 100 and 10 kg N-P-K-S-Zn, respectively ha-1). Therefore, it can be concluded that BRRI dhan63 can be grown with 50% less than recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + vermicompost @10 t ha-1 in Boro season to obtain the highest grain yield

Shareholder litigation rights and stock price crash risk

We study the impact of shareholder-initiated litigation risk on a firm\u27s stock price crash risk. Our empirical analysis takes advantage of the staggered adoption of universal demand laws, which led to an exogenous decline in derivative litigation risk. We find that a decline in the threat of derivative litigation reduces crash risk and that information hoarding associated with earnings management is a channel through which litigation risk affects crash risk. The relationship is also moderated by how exposed firms are to the other primary form of shareholder litigation, namely securities class-action lawsuits

Prospective comparison of emergency physician-performed venous ultrasound and CT venography for deep venous thrombosis

Abstract Background: Venous thromboembolic disease is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare emergency physician-performed ultrasound (EPPU) of the lower extremities with CT venography (CTV) in emergency department (ED) patients undergoing workup for pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: This was a prospective study performed at a busy academic ED. Adult patients (N18) undergoing workup for PE were eligible for the study; enrollment was based on a convenience sample, during hours worked by the investigators. Study patients underwent EPPU of the lower extremities followed by CT angiogram (CTA) of the chest and CTV of the lower extremities. Sensitivity and specificity of the ultrasound examination were calculated using CTV as the gold standard. Results: A total of 61 patients were enrolled. Of 61 patients, 50 (82%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 72%-91%) had negative workups; 11 (18%; 95% CI, 8%-27%) were noted to have PE on CTA; 6 (10%; 95% CI, 2%-17%) were noted to have lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT) on both EPPU and CTV evaluation; whereas 1 patient was found to have an external iliac DVT on CTV, which was not noted on EPPU. All patients with DVT (by either EPPU or CTV) were found to have PE on CTA. Sensitivity and specificity of EPPU when compared to CTV in the diagnosis of DVT was 86% (95% CI, 42%-99%) and 100% (95% CI, 91%-100%), respectively. Conclusions: Emergency physician-performed ultrasound produces results consistent with CTV in the diagnosis of femoropopliteal DVT. More proximal clots are not evaluated with EPPU and thus may result in a false negative

Physiological and Biochemical Basis of Faba Bean Breeding for Drought Adaptation —A Review

Grain legumes are commonly used for food and feed all over the world and are the main source of protein for over a billion people worldwide, but their production is at risk from climate change. Water deficit and heat stress both significantly reduce the yield of grain legumes, and the faba bean is considered particularly susceptible. The genetic improvement of faba bean for drought adaptation (water deficit tolerance) by conventional methods and molecular breeding is time-consuming and laborious, since it depends mainly on selection and adaptation in multiple sites. The lack of high-throughput screening methodology and low heritability of advantageous traits under environmental stress challenge breeding progress. Alternatively, selection based on secondary characters in a controlled environment followed by field trials is successful in some crops, including faba beans. In general, measured features related to drought adaptation are shoot and root morphology, stomatal characteristics, osmotic adjustment and the efficiency of water use. Here, we focus on the current knowledge of biochemical and physiological markers for legume improvement that can be incorporated into faba bean breeding programs for drought adaptation.Peer reviewe