Experimental study of the influence of glass cover cooling using evaporative cooling process on the thermal performance of single basin solar still

Acute shortage of drinking water has been on the rise owing to increasing population as well as shortage of drinkable water. Generation of potable water using passive solar stills is among the simplest and easier devices which make use of solar heat energy. However, the output of solar still is generally low owing to greater heat loss and needs improvement. In this paper, an experimental analysis is carried out to determine the performance of passive solar still with glass cover cooling using cold water generated using passive evaporative cooling process. The cold water required for cooling the glass cover is obtained using evaporative cooling process in the water tank which is wound with wet cotton cloth wick. The cold water thus obtained is sprayed onto the top surface of glass cover. The experiment is carried out in the outdoor conditions of Dubai from 10:00h to 14:00h and the temperature recordings of basin plate, glass cover, basin water, ambient air and cooling water are noted for every 30 minutes. The results reveal that the average increase in condensation heat transfer coefficient is found to be about 20.8% higher in the presence of glass cover cooling and the distillate output is found to increase by about 3.32 times. The average still efficiency is found to be relatively higher in the presence of cooling which is about 7.3% higher in the presence of cooling. The cold water temperature generated through evaporative cooling process is about 20.4% lower as compared to ambient temperature. Thus, the cooling of glass cover using cold water obtained through evaporative cooling process is found to be effective in enhancing the thermal performance of single basin solar still system

Frictional force measurement during stick-slip motion of a piezoelectric walker

The stick-slip actuator motion is dependent on its natural frequency. The backward motion of the actuator during the slip phase due to the stiffness alters the motion of any stick-slip friction principle based positioners drastically. This work is an attempt to design and fabricate a simple and compact piezoelectric walker integrated with a force sensor to measure the frictional force during the slip phase. The underlying idea is to achieve a smooth motion of the walker by understanding the dynamics during slipping

A new method to study evaporation of sessile drop from permeable surfaces

Real time monitoring of the mass of an evaporating liquid drop from a real surface by optical methods cannot account for the volume of the drop that gets trapped between asperities. Mass measurement methods do not have high resolution, necessary to account for the small volume of the drop trapped in the pores. This work uses a non resonant mass sensor with a goniometer to simultaneously measure the mass and contact angle of the evaporating drop. Evaporative flux is used as the quantity of comparison across all surfaces. For a pinned sessile drop, the evaporative flux remains almost a constant for any kind of surface. For inkjet printing paper, the negative slope of the flux rate means evaporation is dominant. The drop breaches the hydrophobic coating on the paper to indicate a positive slope of this flux rate. In short, evaporation is strictly controlled by relative humidity and not the nature of the substrate

Cardiac magnetic resonance of myocardial involvement in leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the Leptospira interrogans. Although it is endemic in tropical countries, global incidence has increased in several temperate and developed regions. Here, we present a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and multidetector computer tomography (MDCT) chest features of active systemic leptospiral infection in a 19-year-old male. The MDCT appearances of lungs and CMR appearances of myocardium in icteric leptospirosis are described. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is important to manage the cardiothoracic complications

Studies on abrasion resistance of silk fabrics

69-73<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" color:black;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-IN">Around 100 different samples of commercially popular silk fabrics were collected and tested for fabric constructional particulars and two functional properties, viz abrasion resistance and bursting strength. The silk fabrics were tested for abrasion resistance on both Taber type and Martindale testers and the end point of the test was determined as per the pinhole and weight loss methods. Abrasion resistance, expressed in terms of number of cycles to form a pin-hole, showed better consistency in terms of various inter- relationships. The interdependence of factors influencing the abrasion resistance with other functional properties have also been deduced.</span

Clinical correlates of leukoaraiosis: A study of 175 patients

Background: In India, the correlates of leukoaraiosis (LA) have not been widely reported. This study was designed to investigate the factors which correlate with LA. Materials and Methods: We included patients with LA who consented for the study and graded their severity on the basis of Fazekas scale. We excluded patients with LA who did not consent/cooperate for the study as also patients with other white matter changes which mimic LA. Results: LA is a common and under-rated cause of disability. Presentations include cognitive decline, gait disturbance, dysarthria, bladder/bowel sphincter disturbances, and increased risk of stroke. The comorbidities include hyperhomocysteinemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, tobacco use, ischemic heart disease, previous stroke, atrial fibrillation, chronic renal failure, and bariatric surgery

Cutaneous Phaeohyphomycosis Caused by Paraconiothyrium cyclothyrioides

Paraconiothyrium cyclothyrioides is a recently described coelomycetous fungal species. We present a case in a renal transplant patient with chronic skin lesions of the lower extremities caused by P. cyclothyrioides. Treatment with posaconazole led to complete resolution of the lesions. P. cyclothyrioides should be considered an opportunistic human pathogen in immunocompromised patients