Efficiency and power enhancement of combined cycle power plants by inlet air conditioning techniques

Paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 30 June - 2 July, 2008.The combined gas/steam turbine cycle power plants offer an efficient and environment friendly system for electric power generation. However the power output from a gas turbine decreases significantly with increase in ambient temperature. This is a serious condition especially in hot climatic environments. Best method to tackle this situation is to condition the inlet air to the gas turbine using innovative techniques for augmenting power and efficiency improvement. This paper illustrates the influence of various inlet air conditioning techniques. A computational model of the Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant was developed and applied to a typical 350 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP), operational in Kerala, India. The model is based on thermodynamics, heat transfer and psychrometric principles. With the help of this model, a parametric analysis of combined cycle gas turbine plant for various temperatures and humidity with swirl flash technology was carried out and results plotted. Evaporative cooling and refrigerated inlet cooling techniques were compared with the swirl flash technology to establish that the swirl flash is superior to other methods in efficiency and power enhancement.vk201

Prune Belly Syndrome

Prune belly syndrome is a rare congenital disorder of the urinary system, characterized by a triad of abnormalities. The aetiology is not known. Many infants are either stillborn or die within the first few weeks of life from severe lung or kidney problems, or a combination of congenital anomalies

Application of the Point Stress Criterion to Assess the Bond Strength of a Single-Lap Joint

Finite element analysis has been carried out to obtain the interfacial stresses in a single lap joint using a special 6-node isoparametric element for adhesive layer. The analysis results are found to be in good agreement with the closedform solution of Goland and Reissner. The peak normal and shear stresses found in the adhesive layer at the edges of the joint are due to stress singularity. The bond strength of the single-lap joint is estimated considering one of the stress fracture criteria known as the point stress criterion. Bond strength estimates are found to be reasonably in good agreement with existing test results.Выполнен конечноэлементный расчет напряжений в зоне соединения внахлестку с использованием в адгезионном слое специальных 6-узловых изопараметрических конечных элементов. Результаты расчета хорошо согласуются с решениями, полученными в замкнутом виде Голандом и Рейсснером. Показано, что максимальные нормальные и касательные напряжения в адгезионном слое имеют место в торцах соединения, что обусловлено их сингулярностью. Оценена адгезионная прочность соединения внахлестку с помощью критерия прочности, известного как критерий точечных напряжений. Расчетные значения адгезионной прочности тесно коррелируют с известными экспериментальными данными.Проведено скінченноелементний розрахунок напружень у зоні з єднання внапуск із використанням у адгезійному шарі спеціальних 6-вузлових ізопараметричних скінченних елементів. Результати розрахунку добре узгоджуються з розв язками, отриманими у замкненому вигляді Голандом і Рейсснером. Показано, що максимальні нормальні і дотичні напруження в адгезійному шарі мають місце в торцях з єднання, що зумовлено їх сингулярністю. Оцінено адгезійну міцність з єднання внапуск за допомогою критерію міцності, відомого як критерій точкового напруження. Розрахунки і значення адгезійної міцності тісно корелюють із відомими експериментальними даними

The Myosin Va Head Domain Binds to the Neurofilament-L Rod and Modulates Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Content and Distribution within Axons

The neurofilament light subunit (NF-L) binds to myosin Va (Myo Va) in neurons but the sites of interaction and functional significance are not clear. We show by deletion analysis that motor domain of Myo Va binds to the NF-L rod domain that forms the NF backbone. Loss of NF-L and Myo Va binding from axons significantly reduces the axonal content of ER, and redistributes ER to the periphery of axon. Our data are consistent with a novel function for NFs as a scaffold in axons for maintaining the content and proper distribution of vesicular organelles, mediated in part by Myo Va. Based on observations that the Myo Va motor domain binds to intermediate filament (IF) proteins of several classes, Myo Va interactions with IFs may serve similar roles in organizing organelle topography in different cell types

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

<i>In vitro </i>and <i>in vivo </i>antimycobacterial activity of antiinflammatory drug, diclofenac sodium

922-927The non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug diclofenac sodium exhibited remarkable inhibitory action against both drug sensitive and drug resistant clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as other mycobacteria. This agent was tested in vitro against 45 different strains of mycobacteria, most of which were inhibited by the drug at 10-25 μg/ml concentration. When tested in vivo, diclofenac, injected at 10 mg/kg body weight of a Swiss strain of white mice, could significantly protect them when challenged with a 50 median lethal dose of M. tuberculosis H37 Rv102. According to Chisquare test, the in vivo data were highly significant (P0.01)