EVALUATION OF HEAT TRANSFER BOUNDARY CONDITIONS FOR CFD MODELING OF A 3D PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER GEOMETRY

In this paper fluid flow and heat transfer are modeled in a corrugated 3D plate heat exchanger geometry with a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program, Fluent 6.1.22 (Fluent Inc., Lebanon), in order to find out the most realistic heat transfer boundary conditions for a plate heat exchanger. The built-in boundary conditions of Fluent available for this case are Heat flux, Convection and Constant wall temperature. The CFD models are verified with correlations and experimental data obtained by a flat plate test equipment of which parameters can be calculated analytically. Deficiencies are found in all the built-in heat transfer boundary conditions. Heat transfer modeling with CFD in a corrugated plate heat exchanger is problematic because of the assumptions that have to be made when defining the boundary conditions in the complex geometry. The values of the computational parameters have spatial variations and can not be defined explicitly. However, when compared to the experimental correlations in the literature, the Convection boundary condition gives the most realistic results in the case of corrugated plate heat exchanger

Exposure to allergens of different cattle breeds and their relevance in occupational allergy

Introduction Cattle are an important source of allergens in the working area of farmers. Asthma caused by cow allergens is a significant occupational problem. Yet in allergological testing, the results of in vivo and in vitro diagnostic tests are often inconsistent even in cases with clearly cattle-related symptoms. Objectives and methods The aim of this study was to investigate four different commercial cow allergen extracts and to compare them with self prepared extracts of different cattle breeds by means of SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting using the sera of 42 German farmers with asthma and rhino-conjunctivitis caused by cattle contact. Results The commercial extracts investigated in this study showed only minor differences in protein pattern. Using sera in immunoblotting experiments distinct bands were found for all symptomatic farmers, even in 13 farmers with a negative result in commercially available serological allergy tests. Bands with molecular weights in the range between about 11 and 67 kDa were observed; reactivity with the major allergen Bos d 2 at about 20 kDa was detected in all farmers, although it was not the strongest band in all cases. Conclusions We demonstrate for the first time the allergenic relevance of additional proteins with molecular weights of 14, 30, 55 and approx. 67-97 kDa in more than 50% of farmers with cattle related symptoms. One of our most striking results was that 32% of the investigated farmers with cattle related symptoms showed negative results with commercial serological tests but distinct reactions with cow allergen in immunoblotting experiments. The Bos d 2 content in hair showed differences between certain breeds whereas German Brown and Simmental had particularly higher quantities of Bos d 2 in their hair than breeds such as Holstein-Friesian. These results strongly support the following recommendation: test results with commercial extracts that are contradictory to the clinical symptoms should be supplemented by skin tests using extracts of the hair of the farmers' own cattle

Congruence between perceived and theoretical knowledge before and after an internet-based continuing education program about VLU nursing care

Background: Previous research has revealed nurses' knowledge gaps in venous leg ulcer (VLU) nursing care, and continuing education is needed. The closer nurses' perceived knowledge is to their evidence-based theoretical knowledge, the better possibilities they have to conduct evidence-based VLU nursing care.Objectives: To assess the congruence between nurses' perceived and theoretical knowledge about VLU nursing care before and after an internet-based education about VLU nursing care (eVLU).Design: Quasi-experimental study with intervention and comparison groups and pre- and post-measurements.Setting: Home health care in two Finnish municipalities.Participants: Nurses (n = 946) working in home health care were invited to participate. In the intervention group, 239 nurses and 229 nurses in the comparison group met the inclusion criteria, and they were all recruited to the study.Method: Nurses were divided into intervention and comparison groups with lottery between the municipalities. Nurses in both groups took care of patients with VLU according to their organizations' instructions. In addition to this, nurses in the intervention group received a 6-week eVLU while those in the comparison group did not. Data were collected with a questionnaire about perceived and theoretical knowledge before education, at six weeks, and at 10 weeks. The percentages of congruence were calculated at every measurement point, and the McNemar test was used to detect statistical significance of changes between measurements.Results: The increase of congruence was more often statistically significant in the intervention group than in the comparison group.Conclusion: The results support the hypothesis that the congruence between perceived and theoretical knowledge will be higher among nurses receiving eVLU. Because of the low participation and drop-outs, the results should be interpreted with caution.</p

Panama and the WTO : new constitutionalism of trade policy and global tax governance

"Corrigendum" in Review of International Political Economy, 24(4), p. 738 (DOI: 10.1080/09692290.2017.1332547).Tax havens and tax flight have lately received increasing attention, while interest toward multilateral trade policies has somewhat diminished. We argue that more attention needs to be paid exactly to the interrelations between trade and tax policies. Drawing from two case studies on Panama's trade disputes, we show how World Trade Organization (WTO) rules can be used both to resist attempts to sanction secrecy structures and to promote measures against tax flight. The theory of new constitutionalism can help to explain how trade treaties can 'lock in' tax policies. However, our case studies show that trade policy not only 'locks in' democratic policy-making, but also enables tax havens to use their commercialized sovereignty to resists anti-secrecy measures. What is being 'locked in' are the policy tools, not necessarily the policies. The changing relationship between trade and tax policies can also create new and unexpected tools for tackling tax evasion, underlining the importance of epistemic arbitrage in the context of new constitutionalism. In principle, political actors with sufficient technical and juridical knowledge can shape global tax governance to various directions regardless of their formal position in the world political hierarchies. This should be taken into account when trade treaties are being negotiated or revised.Peer reviewe

Population cycles and outbreaks of small rodents : ten essential questions we still need to solve

Correction: 10.1007/s00442-021-04856-4, Oecologia (2021)Most small rodent populations in the world have fascinating population dynamics. In the northern hemisphere, voles and lemmings tend to show population cycles with regular fluctuations in numbers. In the southern hemisphere, small rodents tend to have large amplitude outbreaks with less regular intervals. In the light of vast research and debate over almost a century, we here discuss the driving forces of these different rodent population dynamics. We highlight ten questions directly related to the various characteristics of relevant populations and ecosystems that still need to be answered. This overview is not intended as a complete list of questions but rather focuses on the most important issues that are essential for understanding the generality of small rodent population dynamics.Peer reviewe

Androgen and glucocorticoid levels reflect seasonally occurring social challenges in male redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus)

Intense reproductive competition and social instability are assumed to increase concentrations of glucocorticoids and androgens in vertebrates, as a means of coping with these challenges. In seasonally breeding redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus), the mating and the birth season and the associated increased male competition are predicted to pose such reproductive challenges. In this paper, we investigate seasonal variation in hormone excretion in male redfronted lemurs, and examine whether this variation is associated with social or ecological factors. Although dominance status has been shown to affect individual stress levels across many taxa, we predicted no rank-related differences in glucocorticoids for redfronted lemurs because relatively equal costs are associated with both high and low rank positions (based on patterns of rank acquisition/maintenance and threats toward subordinates). Over a 14-month period, we collected behavioral data (1843 focal hours) and 617 fecal samples from 13 redfronted lemur males in Kirindy Forest/Madagascar. We found no general rank-related pattern of testosterone or glucocorticoid excretion in this species. Both hormones were excreted at significantly higher levels during the mating and the birth season, despite social stability during both periods. The elevated mating season levels may be explained by increased within-group reproductive competition during this time and are in line with previous studies of other seasonally reproducing primates. For the birth season increase, we propose that the predictable risk of infanticide in this highly seasonal species affects male gonadal and adrenal endocrine activity. We evaluate alternative social and ecological factors influencing the production of both hormone classes and conclude based on our preliminary investigations that none of them can account for the observed pattern

Characterization of the function of type XIII collagen in mice; specific roles during cardiovascular development and posnatally in bone modeling

Abstract Type XIII collagen is a type II transmembrane protein which is expressed in many tissues throughout development and adult life. It is located in focal adhesions of cultured cells and in the adhesive structures of tissues such as the myotendinous junctions in muscle, intercalated discs in the heart and the cell-basement membrane interphases. To further characterize the function of this protein, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing it in normal and mutant forms. A large in-frame deletion in the COL2 domain of type XIII collagen led to synthesis of truncated α1(XIII) chains in transgenic mice, disrupting the assembly of normal type XIII collagen trimers. Fibroblasts derived from the mutant mice expressed shortened α1(XIII) chains, and no intracellular accumulation of the mutant protein was detected, suggesting that the mutant molecules were expressed on the cell surface. Transgene expression led to an embryonally lethal phenotype in offspring from heterozygous mating at two distinct stages of development. The early phenotype fetuses died due to the lack of chorioallantoic fusion and functioning placenta at 10.5 dpc, while the death of the late phenotype fetuses was caused by cardiac and placental defects around 13.5 dpc. The phenotype resembles closely several other cell adhesion molecule mutants, indicating that type XIII collagen has an essential role in certain adhesive interactions that are necessary for normal development. Mice overexpressing type XIII collagen with or without a point mutation developed postnatally an unexpected skeletal phenotype marked by a massive increase in bone mass. The cortical bone cross-sectional area and volumetric bone mineral density were highly increased, but trabecular bone volume was not significantly altered. The bone formation rate was several times higher in the mutant mice than in their normal littermates, while the osteoclast number and resorption activity were normal. Type XIII collagen was expressed highly in primary osteoblasts derived from the transgenic mice. Overexpression of type XIII collagen in osteoblasts enhanced both cell proliferation and differentiation while lack of it had opposite effects. Furthermore, mutant cells responded to mechanical strain differently than wild-type cells. The findings suggest that type XIII collagen has an important role in bone modeling, and it may in particular have a function in coupling the regulation of bone mass to mechanical usage

Heterogeneous landscapes and the role of refuge on the population dynamics of a specialist predator and its prey

How, and where, a prey species survives predation by a specialist predator during low phases of population fluctuations or a cycle, and how the increase phase of prey population is initiated, are much-debated questions in population and theoretical ecology. The persistence of the prey species could be due mainly to habitats that act as refuges from predation and/or due to anti-predatory behaviour of individuals. We present models for the former conjecture in two (and three) habitat systems with a specialist predator and its favoured prey. The model is based on dispersal of prey between habitats with high reproductive output but high risk of predation, and less productive habitats with relatively low risk of predation. We illustrate the predictions of our model using parameters from one of the most intriguing vertebrate predator–prey systems, the multi-annual population cycles of boreal voles and their predators. We suggest that cyclic population dynamics could result from a sequence of extinction and re–colonization events. Field voles (Microtus agrestis), a key vole species in the system, can be hunted to extinction in their preferred meadow habitat, but persist in sub-optimal wet habitats where their main predator, the least weasel (Mustela nivalis nivalis) has a low hunting efficiency. Re–colonization of favourable habitats would occur after the predator population crashes. At the local scale, the model suggests that the periodicity and amplitude of population cycles can be strongly influenced by the relative availability of risky and safe habitats for the prey. Furthermore, factors like intra-guild predation may lead to reduced predation pressure on field voles in sub-optimal habitats, which would act as a refuge for voles during the low phase of their population cycles. Elasticity analysis suggested that our model is quite robust to changes in most parameters but sensitive to changes in the population dynamics of field voles in the optimal grassland habitat, and to the maximum predation rate of weasels