119 research outputs found
Developing an idealistic model to characterize and optimize a photovoltaic battery systems
Solar energy is one of the most abundant and clean energy sources of renewable energy. Due to its unsteady nature, most photovoltaic systems require a solar storage system. Ultracapacitors have proven to be an effective solar energy storage component due to their wide range of input voltages and high power density. This research focuses on characterizing the performance of a PV/UCAP hybrid storage system to meet required household loads at various locations throughout the US as a backup energy source. A calibrated empirical model was developed to characterize system performance. A load profile was designed based on a typical 2 bedroom house with 1200 square feet. Loads were varied for different weather conditions (winter and summer) and different days (work days and weekends). The main reason in considering different weather conditions and days are the use of appliances are not same on every day and the most important thing to be considered is usage of loads will be more in weekends. Similarly, the usage of the loads will be more in winter as heating loads are accounted. So, for accurate load calculations the loads are separated based on the weather and also different days. These loads were identified on an hourly basis based on the type of appliance, hours of operation and watts required during operation. In addition to regular household loads. This model was then applied to meet required loads in multiple locations throughout the United States. This process allows characterization for how the system would perform as a backup power system during various intermittent periods throughout a typical meteorological year at different locations --Abstract, page iv
SEGMENTATION OF HUMAN BODIES BASED ON ZERO SALIENCY DETECTION
The paper presents the segmentation of human bodies based on zero saliency detection. The zero salience detection is used to identify the informative of the image. The proposed method is to extract the salient objects and background regions of the image. In the past decade, we apply labeling to the image, to get the background cues as a background region and foreground as a salience objects. But labeling method is not efficient to get results accurately. The salience detection method follows two steps to extract the background and foreground regions accurately. The experimental results show that the salience detection method performs well compare to existing methods in terms of accuracy, speed and object detection
PROTECTED FACTS RECOVERY USED FOR DECENTRALIZED INTERFERENCE CHARITABLE SERVICES NETWORKS
We present ingenious recovery of understanding by way of CE for decentralized disruption-tolerant systems were introduced where numerous key government physiques control their attributes individually. The suggested technique of key generation made up of personal key generation adopted by protocols of attribute key generation it exploits arithmetic secure two-party computation procedure to get rid of key escrow difficulty by which nobody of presidency physiques can conclude whole crucial aspects of users individually. Attribute-basis system of file encryption assists an access control above encrypted information by way of access policies among cipher-texts. We've broaden a disparity within the CE formula partly according to Beth escort et al.’s building to improve expressiveness of access control policy as opposed to construction in the novel CE system on your own. The confidentiality of understanding is cryptographically forced against interested key government physiques inside the forecasted plan. Setback of key escrow is intrinsic to make sure that key authority decrypts each cipher-text that's addressed to users in system by way of generating their secret keys at any instance and additionally the issue was resolved to make certain that privacy of stored facts are assured still underneath the hostile atmosphere where key government physiques very might be not completely reliable
A to G transitions at 260, 386 and 437 in DAZL gene are not associated with spermatogenic failure in Indian population
The autosomal DAZL (Deleted-in-Azoospermic-Like) gene, mapped to the short arm of the human chromosome 3, is the precursor for the Y-chromosomal DAZ cluster, which encodes for putative RNA-binding proteins. Mutations in the DAZL have been reported to be associated with spermatogenic failure in Taiwanese population but not in Caucasians. As there was no study on Indian populations, we have analysed the entire coding sequences of exons 2 and 3 of DAZL in a total of 1010 men from Indian subcontinent, including 660 infertile men with 598 non-obstructive azoospermia, 62 severe oligozoospermia and 350 normozoospermic fertile control men, to investigate whether mutation(s) in the DAZL is associated with male infertility. Interestingly, none of our samples (1010) showed A386G (T54A) mutation, which was found to be associated with spermatogenic failure in Taiwanese population. In contrast, A260G (T12A) mutation was observed in both infertile and normozoospermic fertile control men, without any significant association with infertile groups (χ2=0.342; p=0.556). Similarly, we have found a novel A437G (I71V) mutation, which is also present in both infertile and normozoospermic fertile control men without any significant difference (χ2=0.476; p=0.490). Our study clearly demonstrates the complete absence of the A386G (T54A) mutation in Indian subcontinent and the other two mutations- A260G (T12A) and A437G (I71V)- observed are polymorpic. Therefore, we conclude that these mutations in the DAZL gene are not associated with male infertility in Indian subcontinent
Various forms of tobacco usage and its associated oral mucosal lesions
Background: To study the various forms of tobacco usage and its associated oral mucosal lesions among the patients attending Vishnu Dental College Bhimavaram.
Material and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 450 patients who were
divided into three groups based upon type of tobacco use, as Group-1 Reverse smoking, Group-2 Conventional
smoking, Group-3 Smokeless tobacco group and each group consists of 150 subjects.
Results: Reverse smoking was observed to be more prevalent among old females with smoker’s palate and carcinomatous lesions being the most common. Conventional smoking was observed more in male patients with maximum
occurrence of leukoplakia and tobacco associated melanosis. Smokeless tobacco habit was predominantly seen in
younger males. Habit specific lesions like tobacco pouch keratosis, Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF), Quid induced lichenoid reaction were noticed in smokeless tobacco habit group except for erythroplakia which was noticed
only in conventional smoking group and it was not significant statistically
.
Conclusions: In the present study it was found that the usage of reverse smoking habit was most commonly seen
in females and this habit is practiced in and surrounding areas of Bhimavaram with more occurrence of carcinoma
compared to conventional smoking and smokeless tobacco
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: an overview
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including both traditional non-selective NSAIDs and the selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors, are widely used for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. NSAIDs are a necessary choice in pain management because of the integrated role of the COX path way in the generation of inflammation and in the biochemical recognition of pain. NSAIDs are the competitive inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX), the enzyme which mediates the bioconversion of arachidonic acid to inflammatory prostaglandins (PGs). Their use is associated with the side effects such as gastrointestinal and renal toxicity. They are the most commonly employed first line drugs for all these conditions and many others-like musculoskeletal trauma, minor aches and pains, and dysmenorrhoea. The therapeutic anti-inflammatory action of NSAIDs is produced by the inhibition of COX-2, while the undesired side effects arise from inhibition of COX-1 activity. Thus, it was though those more selective COX-2 inhibitors would have reduced side effects. Based upon a number of selective COX-2 inhibitors (Rofecoxib, Celecoxib etc.) were developed as safer NSAIDs with improved gastric safety profile. Several newer applications like prophylaxis of stroke with aspirin are now common place. Use of these drugs for the prophylaxis of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and colorectal cancer is being evaluated. Unfortunately, they have several toxicities ranging from minor heartburn to severe gastrointestinal haemorrhage and perforation. Therefore, newer NSAIDs have been introduced in recent years to circumvent this problem. In preliminary studies, these have shown better safety, efficacy, and tolerability but the full spectrum of adverse reactions of these drugs is yet to be fully known. This review can be used for further research as well as clinical purpose.
Keywords: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclooxygenase inhibitors, prostaglandins, aspirin
2-D analytical study of employment of thermal barrier coatings to evaluate the performance of actively cooled panels for air breathing engines
Paper presented to the 10th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Florida, 14-16 July 2014.Hypersonic vehicles operate at high flight Mach numbers
exposing the airframe and engine structures to high heat loads
which are quite severe in the combustor part of the high-speed
air breathing engine. In order to withstand high heat loads
experienced in the combustor region of the engine during
hypersonic flight, actively cooled panels are employed. Herein,
a fuel before being injected into the combustor serves as a
coolant and is made to flow through the combustor heat
exchanger panels such that the material and coolant
temperatures are maintained below their critical limits. A few
of the candidate materials considered for the active panels of
the engine are Nb alloy Cb 752, Ni alloy Inconel X-750, and CSiC.
To enhance the heat withstanding capacity of these
materials, low thermal conductivity thermal barrier coatings
(TBC) are employed. Currently Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia
(YSZ) material and ceramic materials are being used as popular
TBC materials because of their very low thermal conductivity
and high phase stability. In this analytical study, thermal
properties of air-plasma-sprayed zirconia based lanthanum
zirconate (La2Zr2O7) – LZ- coatings were employed in the
investigations. Lanthanum-cerium oxide (La2Ce2O7) –LC- is
considered as a new candidate material for TBCs because of its
low thermal conductivity and high phase stability. With the use
of La2Ce2O7 and La2Zr2O7 as TBC materials, the difference in
the weight of the active panel material and the heat gained by
the fuel are nearly identical as compared to active panel
material coated with YSZ TBC. Results showed that the effect
of TBC thickness on the weight of the optimised actively
cooled panel is negligible, because of very small TBC layer
thickness ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 mm and nearly identical
thermal properties of the TBC’s. Results showed that Inconel
X-750 is capable of sustaining high heat transfer coefficients
with fuel/coolant heat gain well below fuel coking temperature
with moderate weight to area ratio.dc201
Sweet sorghum bagasse – A source of organic manure
Bagasse or silage is an important by-product in the sweet sorghum-based
ethanol industry. Above ground biomass distribution in sweet sorghum forms
90% of the total biomass produced and that includes stem, leaves and panicle
with grain. It is estimated that bagasse makes 30% of the total biomass of
sweet sorghum, which is composed of cellulose (15-25%), hemi cellulose (35-
50%) and lignin (20-30%) with Net Calorific value: 4,125 Kcal kg-1 (ash free);
depending on the genotypes (Grassi 2001). Approximate composition of sweet
sorghum bagasse is given in Table 1. It is estimated that 6-7 kg of bagasse
will be produced for every liter of ethanol produced from sweet sorghum.
Even though bagasse has multiple uses such as being a source for energy
cogeneration, animal feed and organic manure, it is important to work out the
trade-offs between its uses as a source of bio-fuel and carbon balance in the
whole production-to-consumption chain. In this context, recycling of bagasse
into organic manure and using it in the crop husbandry is an environmentally
safe measure of sequestering carbon in the soil. Sweet sorghum is promoted
in the semi-arid regions where organic carbon content in the soil is generally
low and the application of bagasse as organic manure assumes great
importance for sustaining the soil fertility. The direct application of bagasse
to the soil causes temporary lock up (immobilization) of soil nitrogen (N) due
to wider C: N (~35:1) ratio and hence, it is important to bring down the C:
N ratio by vermicomposting to use it as organic manure. Composting is the
value addition method for enriching organic residues with low N content and
this can be done either through microbial flora or along with earthworms.
Generally, composting of organic residues with earthworms is referred to as
vermicomposting, which is a rapid and simple method. The composition of
vermicompost is superior in terms of macro and micro nutrients; besides,
it is rich in plant growth promoting substances. The composting of sweet
sorghum bagasse with earthworms is focused in the project and protocol was
standardized for the same through laboratory and on farm trials
Y chromosome deletions in azoospermic men in India
Genetic factors cause about 10% of male infertility. Azoospermia factors (AZFa, AZFb, AZFc) are considered to be the most important for spermatogenesis. We therefore made an attempt to evaluate the genetic cause of azoospermia, Y chromosome deletion in particular, in Indian men. We have analyzed a total of 570 men, including 340 azoospermic men and 230 normal control subjects. DNA samples were initially screened with 30 sequence-tagged site (STS) markers representing AZF regions (AZFa, AZFb, AZFc). Samples, with deletion in the above regions were mapped by STS walking. Further, the deletions were confirmed by Southern hybridization using the probes from both euchromatic and heterochromatic regions. Of the total 340 azoospermic men analyzed, 29 individuals (8.5%) showed Y chromosome deletion, of which deletion in AZFc region was the most common (82.8%) followed by AZFb (55.2%) and AZFa (24.1%). Microdeletions were observed in AZFa, whereas macrodeletions were observed in AZFb and AZFc regions. Deletion of heterochromatic and azoospermic regions was detected in 20.7% of the azoospermic men. In 7 azoospermic men, deletion was found in more than 8.0 Mb spanning AZFb and AZFc regions. Sequence analysis at the break points on the Y chromosome revealed the presence of L1, ERV, and other retroviral repeat elements. We also identified a 240-kb region consisting of 125 bp tandem repeats predominantly comprised of ERV elements in the AZFb region. Histological study of the testicular tissue of the azoospermic men, who showed Y chromosome deletion, revealed complete absence of germ cells and presence of only Sertoli cells
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