Blow-off mechanisms of turbulent premixed bluff-body stabilised flames operated with vapourised kerosene fuels

The lean blow-off (LBO) behaviour of unconfined lean premixed blu -body stabilised flames with various fuels was investigated. Methane and vapourised ethanol, heptane, Jet-A1, and an alternative alcohol-derived kerosene (Gevo) were used. OH* chemiluminescence (5 kHz), OH- and Fuel-PLIF (5 kHz), and CH2O-PLIF (10 Hz) were deployed. For all fuels, as the flame approached LBO fragmentation was observed downstream, the two sides of the flame merged at the axis, pockets of OH and CH2O were found in the recirculation zone (RZ), and eventually the individual fragments extinguished. The CH2O seemed to enter into the RZ from downstream early in the LBO process, with reactants following suit at times closer to LBO. During LBO, the integrated OH* signal decreased slowly to zero and the duration of this transition was 25 (d=UBO) in the methane and ethanol flames and 60 (d=UBO) in flames operated with heptane and the two kerosenes (where d is the blu -body diameter and UBO the LBO velocity). This large di erence could be due to re-ignitions of partially-quenched fluid inside the RZ during the LBO event. Additionally, for the same bulk velocity, the kerosene flames blow-o at higher equivalence ratios than the single-component fuelled flames, which is possibly due to the higher Lewis number and lower extinction strain rates of these fuels. The results suggest that the blow-o mechanism is qualitatively similar for each of the fuels; however, the complex chemistry associated with heavy hydrocarbons appears to result in a prolonged LBO event.Cambridge Trust

Predicting Energy Requirement for Cooling the Building Using Artificial Neural Network

This paper explores total cooling load during summers and total carbon emissions of a six storey building by using artificial neural network (ANN). Parameters used for the calculation were conduction losses, ventilation losses, solar heat gain and internal gain. The standard back-propagation learning algorithm has been used in the network. The energy performance in buildings is influenced by many factors, such as ambient weather conditions, building structure and characteristics, the operation of sub-level components like lighting and HVAC systems, occupancy and their behavior. This complex situation makes it very difficult to accurately implement the prediction of building energy consumption. The calculated cooling load was 0.87 million kW per year. ANN application showed that data was best fit for the regression coefficient of 0.9955 with best validation performance of 0.41231 in case of conduction losses. To meet out this energy demand various fuel options are presented along with their cost and carbon emission

Ignition probability and lean ignition behaviour of a swirled premixed bluff body stabilised annular combustor

Abstract An experimental investigation was performed in a premixed annular combustor equipped with multiple swirl, bluff body burners to assess the ignition probability and to provide insights into the mechanisms of failure and of successful propagation. The experiments are done at conditions that are close to the lean blow-off limit (LBO) and hence the ignition is difficult and close to the limiting condition when ignition is not possible. Two configurations were employed, with 12 and 18 burners, the mixture velocity was varied between 10 and 30 m/s, and the equivalence ratio (ϕ) between 0.58 and 0.68. Ignition was initiated by a sequence of sparks (2 mm gap, 10 sparks of 10 ms each) and “ignition” is defined as successful ignition of the whole annular combustor. The mechanism of success and failure of the ignition process and the flame propagation patterns were investigated via high-speed imaging (10 kHz) of OH* chemiluminescence. The lean ignition limits were evaluated and compared to the lean blow-off limits, finding the 12-burner configuration is more stable than the 18-burner. It was found that failure is linked to the trapping of the initial flame kernel inside the inner recirculation zone (IRZ) of a single burner adjacent to the spark, followed by localised quenching on the bluff body probably due to heat losses. In contrast, for a successful ignition, it was necessary for the flame kernel to propagate to the adjacent burner or for a flame pocket to be convected downstream in the chamber to grow and start propagating upwards. Finally, the ignition probability (Pign) was obtained for different spark locations. It was found that sparking inside the recirculation zone resulted in Pign ∼ 0 for most conditions, while Pign increased moving the spark away from the bluff-body or placing it between two burners and peaked to Pign ∼ 1 when the spark was located downstream in the combustion chamber, where the velocities are lower and the turbulence less intense. The results provide information on the most favourable conditions for achieving ignition in a complex multi-burner geometry and could help the design and optimisation of realistic gas turbine combustors.EU Project ANNULIGHT (765998

Impact of health education on knowledge and practices about menstruation among adolescent school girls of rural part of district Ambala, Haryana

Background: This study was undertaken to assess the impact of health education on knowledge regarding menstruation, misconceptions related to it as the prevalence of RTI is still very high in India.  Aims: To study the existing level of status of hygiene, knowledge and practices regarding menstruation among adolescent school girls and to assess the change in their knowledge level and practices after health education. Materials A community-based pre and post interventional study was conducted among 200 adolescents’ girls of class IX and X of rural part of district Ambala. Multistage random sampling technique was used to draw the representative sample. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered and later health education regarding menstruation and healthy menstrual practices was imparted to the girls. Post-test was done after 3 months to assess the impact of health education. Pre- and post-intervention, data were compared using the paired t test, z test for proportions, chi-squared test for paired proportions. Difference between Proportions of the pre-post data and its 95% confidence interval has been calculated of the findings. SPSS for Windows software version 20 (IBM, Chicago, USA) have been used for data analysis. The level of significance has been considered at p value < 0.05. Results: In the pre-test, menstrual perceptions amongst them were found to be poor and practices incorrect while in the post-test, there was a significant difference in the level of knowledge (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in pre and post-test with regard to restrictions followed during menses (P>0.05) while in the post-test preceding health education, significant improvements were observed in their practices. Conclusion: Overall significant improvement was found in knowledge and practices regarding menstruation among adolescent school girls

CoMeT: An Integrated Interval Thermal Simulation Toolchain for 2D, 2.5 D, and 3D Processor-Memory Systems

Processing cores and the accompanying main memory working in tandem enable the modern processors. Dissipating heat produced from computation, memory access remains a significant problem for processors. Therefore, processor thermal management continues to be an active research topic. Most thermal management research takes place using simulations, given the challenges of measuring temperature in real processors. Since core and memory are fabricated on separate packages in most existing processors, with the memory having lower power densities, thermal management research in processors has primarily focused on the cores. Memory bandwidth limitations associated with 2D processors lead to high-density 2.5D and 3D packaging technology. 2.5D packaging places cores and memory on the same package. 3D packaging technology takes it further by stacking layers of memory on the top of cores themselves. Such packagings significantly increase the power density, making processors prone to heating. Therefore, mitigating thermal issues in high-density processors (packaged with stacked memory) becomes an even more pressing problem. However, given the lack of thermal modeling for memories in existing interval thermal simulation toolchains, they are unsuitable for studying thermal management for high-density processors. To address this issue, we present CoMeT, the first integrated Core and Memory interval Thermal simulation toolchain. CoMeT comprehensively supports thermal simulation of high- and low-density processors corresponding to four different core-memory configurations - off-chip DDR memory, off-chip 3D memory, 2.5D, and 3D. CoMeT supports several novel features that facilitate overlying system research. Compared to an equivalent state-of-the-art core-only toolchain, CoMeT adds only a ~5% simulation-time overhead. The source code of CoMeT has been made open for public use under the MIT license.Comment: https://github.com/marg-tools/CoMe

Ectopic expression of alkaline phosphatase in proximal tubular brush border membrane of human renal cell carcinoma

AbstractThe present study was conducted to find out any alteration in the expression and activity of alkaline phosphatase in the brush border membrane (BBM) from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in comparison to normal renal BBM. The specific activity of alkaline phosphatase was drastically reduced in homogenate as well as BBM from RCC kidney when compared to ALP activity in BBM of normal kidney. Kinetic studies revealed that diminished activity of alkaline phosphatase in BBM isolated from RCC was fraternized with decrease in maximal velocity (Vmax) and increase in affinity constant (Km) of the enzyme. SDS-PAGE studies showed that the BBM proteins having molecular weights ranging from 95 to 170 kDa were poorly expressed in RCC BBM in relative to normal kidney BBM. Incubation of SDS-PAGE gel with BCIP/NBT dye clearly showed that the expression of ALP in tumor renal BBM was markedly reduced as compared to normal kidney. Further, Western blot analysis using anti-alkaline phosphatase antibody also confirmed the reduced expression of ALP in tumor renal BBM. Lipid composition in reference to phospholipids, glycolipids and cholesterol in tumor renal BBM was altered to that of normal renal BBM, indicating alteration in membrane fluidity of tumor renal BBM

Multi-omic Profiling Reveals Dynamics of the Phased Progression of Pluripotency

Pluripotency is highly dynamic and progresses through a continuum of pluripotent stem cell states. The two states that bookend the pluripotency continuum, naive and primed, are well characterized, but our understanding of the intermediate states and transitions between them remains incomplete. Here, we dissect the dynamics of pluripotent state transitions underlying pre- to post-implantation epiblast differentiation. Through comprehensive mapping of the proteome, phosphoproteome, transcriptome, and epigenome of embryonic stem cells transitioning from naive to primed pluripotency, we find that rapid, acute, and widespread changes to the phosphoproteome precede ordered changes to the epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome. Reconstruction of the kinase-substrate networks reveals signaling cascades, dynamics, and crosstalk. Distinct waves of global proteomic changes mark discrete phases of pluripotency, with cell-state-specific surface markers tracking pluripotent state transitions. Our data provide new insights into multi-layered control of the phased progression of pluripotency and a foundation for modeling mechanisms regulating pluripotent state transitions (www.steamcellatlas.org)

DISC1-dependent Regulation of Mitochondrial Dynamics Controls the Morphogenesis of Complex Neuronal Dendrites

The DISC1 protein is implicated in major mental illnesses including schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and autism. Aberrant mitochondrial dynamics are also associated with major mental illness. DISC1 plays a role in mitochondrial transport in neuronal axons, but its effects in dendrites have yet to be studied. Further, the mechanisms of this regulation and its role in neuronal development and brain function are poorly understood. Here we have demonstrated that DISC1 couples to the mitochondrial transport and fusion machinery via interaction with the outer mitochondrial membrane GTPase proteins Miro1 and Miro2, the TRAK1 and TRAK2 mitochondrial trafficking adaptors, and the mitochondrial fusion proteins (mitofusins). Using live cell imaging, we show that disruption of the DISC1-Miro-TRAK complex inhibits mitochondrial transport in neurons. We also show that the fusion protein generated from the originally described DISC1 translocation (DISC1-Boymaw) localizes to the mitochondria, where it similarly disrupts mitochondrial dynamics. We also show by super resolution microscopy that DISC1 is localized to endoplasmic reticulum contact sites and that the DISC1-Boymaw fusion protein decreases the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contact area. Moreover, disruption of mitochondrial dynamics by targeting the DISC1-Miro-TRAK complex or upon expression of the DISC1-Boymaw fusion protein impairs the correct development of neuronal dendrites. Thus, DISC1 acts as an important regulator of mitochondrial dynamics in both axons and dendrites to mediate the transport, fusion, and cross-talk of these organelles, and pathological DISC1 isoforms disrupt this critical function leading to abnormal neuronal development

Climate change effects on pest spectrum and incidence in grain legumes

Global warming and climate change will influence activity, diversity, distribution and population dynamics of insect pests including the grain legumes. Several insect pests damage grain legume crops, of which the pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera; spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata; spiny pod borer, Etiella zinckenella; pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa; aphid, Aphis craccivora; defoliators, Spodoptera litura and S. exigua; thrips, Megaleurothrips usitatus and Caliothrips indicus and the bruchid, Callasobruchus chinensis cause extensive losses in grain legumes. The incidence and extent of losses due to these pests varies across seasons, locations, and cropping systems. The pest spectrum on grain legumes will change considerably due to impending global warming and climate change. The geographical distribution of some of the pests might extend to temperate regions in Europe and America, while the outbreaks of some other pests will become more frequent. Several outbreaks of pod borer, H. armigera and spotted pod borer, M. vitrata have been recorded on grain legumes in India, which at times have resulted in complete crop loss. The scale insect, Ceroplastodes cajani in pigeonpea and beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, mealy bug, Ferrisia virgata, and white fly, Bemisia tabaci in chickpea have emerged as new pests; while leaf miner, Porphyrosela neodoxa, mealy bugs, Drepanococcus cajani, and Coccidohystrix insolita are some of the emerging pest problems in pigeonpea in India. In addition, there will be greater genotype x environment interactions for expression of resistance to insect pests, and this warrants a greater effort for identification of diverse sources of resistance and need for integrated pest management packages that will be effective under global warming and climate change

Which individual, social, and urban factors in early childhood predict psychopathology in later childhood, adolescence and young adulthood? A systematic review

Background: A comprehensive picture is lacking of the impact of early childhood (age 0–5) risk factors on the subsequent development of mental health symptoms. Objective: In this systematic review, we investigated which individual, social and urban factors, experienced in early childhood, contribute to the development of lateranxiety and depression, behavioural problems, and internalising and externalising symptoms in youth. Methods: Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus, and PsycInfo were searched on the 5th of January 2022. Three additional databases were retrieved from a mega-systematic review source that focused on the identification of both risk and protective indicators for the onset and maintenance of prospective depressive, anxiety and substance use disorders. A total of 46,450 records were identified and screened in ASReview, an AI-aided systematic review tool. We included studies with experimental, quasi-experimental, prospective and longitudinal study designs, while studies that focused on biological and genetical factors, were excluded. Results: Twenty studies were included. The majority of studies explored individual-level risk factors (N = 16). Eleven studies also explored social risk factors and three studied urban risk factors. We found evidence for early predictors relating to later psychopathology measures (i.e., anxiety and depression, behavioural problems, and internalising and externalising symptoms) in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. These were: parental psychopathology, exposure to parental physical and verbal violence and social and neighbourhood disadvantage. Conclusions: Very young children are exposed to a complex mix of risk factors, which operate at different levels and influence children at different time points. The urban environment appears to have an effect on psychopathology but it is understudied compared to individual-level factors. Moreover, we need more research exploring the interaction between individual, social and urban factor