Predicting the relative humidity of allergic asthma using GA

A computational analysis to investigate the effects of compressor pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, ambient relative humidity and ambient temperature on the performance parameters of an air cooled gas turbine cycle with evaporative cooling of inlet air has been presented. The blade cooling method selected is film cooling. The analysis indicates that the mass of coolant required for blade cooling is reduced with increase in temperature drop across the humidifier. Both decrease in ambient temperature and ambient relative humidity results in an increase in plant efficiency and plant specific work. The highest efficiency is obtained at a turbine inlet temperature of 1500 K for all range of ambient relative humidity and ambient temperature, beyond which it decreases. The compressor pressure ratio corresponding to the maximum plant specific work, however, varies with both ambient relative humidity and ambient temperature. The increase in specific work due to drop in ambient relative humidity is more pronounced at higher pressure ratios. Similarly, the increase in efficiency due to ambient temperature drop is prominent at higher turbine inlet temperatures. Finally, a design nomograph is presented to select the design parameters corresponding to best efficiency and specific work.

Hybrid personal cooling systems (HPCS) incorporated with ventilation fans and phase change materials (PCMs) have shown its superior capability for mitigating workers’ heat strain while performing heavy labor work in hot environments. In a previous study, the effects of thermal resistance of insulation pads, and latent heat and melting temperature of PCMs on the HPCS’s thermal performance have been investigated. In addition to the aforementioned factors, environmental conditions, i.e., ambient temperature and relative humidity, also significantly affect the thermal performance of the HPCS. In this paper, a numerical parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of the environmental temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the thermal management of the HPCS. Five levels of air temperature under RH = 50% (i.e., 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 °C) and four levels of environmental RH at two ambient temperatures of 36 and 40 °C were selected (i.e., RH = 30, 50, 70 and 90%) for the numerical analysis. Results show that high environmental temperatures could accelerate the PCM melting process and thereby weaken the cooling performance of HPCS. In the moderately hot environment (36 °C), HPCS presented good cooling performance with the maximum core temperature at around 37.5 °C during excise when the ambient RH ≤ 70%, whereas good cooling performance could be only seen under RH ≤ 50% in the extremely hot environment (40 °C). Thus, it may be concluded that the maximum environmental RH under which the HPCS exhibiting good cooling performance decreases with an increase in the environmental temperature.

Effects of ambient conditions on fuel cell vehicle performance

This study presents data on the effects of variations in ambient temperature and humidity on behaviors related to the care of the pelage (allogrooming, self-grooming, and scratching) in wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui). The amount of time monkeys spent allogrooming was essentially unaffected by variations in ambient temperature and relative humidity. Frequency of scratching and, to a lesser extent, time spent self-grooming significantly increased when ambient temperature and/or relative humidity increased. These results are interpreted in relation to the differences in ultimate function that exist between allogrooming (with both hygienic and social functions) and self-grooming and scratching (with a solely hygienic function).

A novel empirical model for predicting the carbon dioxide emission of a gas turbine power plant

This study aimed to explore the effects of ambient temperature and relative humidity on insulin pharmacodynamics in adults with type 1 diabetes. A three-way, cross-over, randomised study was performed in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (n = 10). The pharmacodynamics profile of a single dose of short-acting insulin (insulin lispro) was investigated, using a controlled environmental chamber, under three environmental conditions: (a) temperature: 15°C and humidity: 10%; (b) temperature: 30°C and humidity: 10%; and (c) temperature: 30°C and humidity: 60%. A euglycaemic glucose clamp technique ensured constant blood glucose of 100 mg/dL (5.5 mmol/L). The following pharmacodynamic endpoints were calculated: maximum glucose infusion rate (GIRmax ), time to GIRmax (tGIRmax ), total area under the curve (AUC) for GIR from 0-6 hours (AUCGIR.0-6h ), and partial AUCs (AUCGIR.0-1h , AUCGIR.0-2h and AUCGIR.2-6h ). Higher temperature (30°C) under 10% fixed humidity conditions resulted in greater GIRmax (P = 0.04) and a later tGIR.max (P = 0.049) compared to lower temperature (15°C). Humidity did not affect any pharmacodynamic parameter. When the combined effects of temperature and humidity were explored, tGIR.max (P = 0.008) occurred earlier, with a lower late insulin pharmacodynamic effect (AUCGIR.2-6h ; P = 0.017) at a temperature of 15°C and humidity of 10% compared to a temperature of 30°C and humidity of 60%. High ambient temperature resulted in a greater insulin peak effect compared to low ambient temperature, with the contribution of high relative humidity apparent only at high ambient temperature. This suggests that patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus who are entering higher environmental temperatures, with or without high humidity, could experience more hypoglycaemic events.

Thermodynamic and mathematical analysis of geothermal power plants operating in different climatic conditions

The aim of this study was to establish physiological responses of Piemontese cows to different environmental conditions (ambient temperature, relative humidity and temperature-humidity index). To this end, 43 clinically healthy Piemontese cows aged 2-12 years were used to evaluate the effect of environmental conditions on haematological parameters. For each period, ambient temperature and relative humidity were recorded by means of a data logger and the temperature-humidity index (THI) was calculated as indicator of thermal comfort for cattle. Blood samples were collected at 4 time points under different environmental conditions (T1, T2, T3 and T4) and analysed for haematological parameters. One way repeated measure analysis of variance showed a statistically significant effect of time (P<0.0001) on RBC, Hb, Hct, MCV, MCH, MCHC, Plt, WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils. The majority of haematological values obtained in the present study, even though within the physiological range for cattle, showed that variations in haematological parameters are related to changes in ambient temperature, relative humidity and temperature-humidity index. These results provide insight into the physiological responses of Piemontese cows to different environmental conditions, allowing to better evaluate its ability to adapt and cope with environmental stress.

Discrete model-based operation of cooling tower based on statistical analysis

Microprocessor controlled low-temperature corn drying system

In a hot summer climate, as in Kuwait and other Arabian Gulf countries, the performance of a gas turbine deteriorates drastically during the high temperature hours(reaches up to 60 oC IN Kuwait). This occurs when the power demand is the largest. This necessitates the increase of the gas turbine installed capacities to balance this deterioration Gas turbines users are becoming aware of this problem as they depend more or gas turbines to satisfy their needs of power and process heat for desalination due to the recent circuit and economical development of the gas turbines. This paper is devoted to study the impact of atmospheric conditions, such as ambient temperature, pressure, and relative humidity on gas turbine performance, The reason for considering the air pressures different than standard atmospheric pressure of the compressor inlet is the variation of this pressure with the altitude. This can generalize the results of this study to include the cases flights at high altitudes. A fully interactive computer programme based on the derived governing equations is developed. The effects of typical variations of atmospheric conditions on the power output and efficiency are considered. These include ambient temperature (range from 20 to 60oC), altitude (range from zero to 2000 m above sea level) and relative humidity (range from zero to 100%). The thermal efficiency and specific net work of a gas turbine were calculated at different values of maximum turbine inlet temperature (TIT) AND VARIABLE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. The value of TIT is a design factor which depends on the material specifications and the fuel air ratio. Typical operating values of (TIT) in modern gas turbines were chosen for this study 1000, 1200.1400 and 1600 K. Partial loads were also considered in the analysis as well as full load. Finally the calculated results were compared with the actual gas turbine data supplied by manufacturers.

ABSTRACTThe Gibbs free energy barrier for heterogeneous nucleation of a condensed droplet on a rough surface changes significantly with changes of humidity content in the condensing environment. The influence of environmental factors (ambient temperature and relative humidity) and substrate characteristics (topology, surface chemistry, and substrate temperature) on atmospheric condensation phenomenon is very important to elucidate the condensed droplet wetting state and condensate harvesting applications. Condensation from the humid air has been reported for plain silicon and fabricated nanopillar surfaces to facilitate condensate harvesting. Droplet growth and size distributions were recorded for 90 min. Spherical droplets condensed on the silicon surfaces and irregular-shaped droplets were observed on the nanopillar surfaces due to the pinning effect of the pillars. The effect of droplet pinning on coalescence events has been described based on the energy balance for the condensed droplets. A mathematical model reveals that certain dimensional combinations (pillar pitch, pillar diameter, and pillar height) of the nanopillar geometry are required to exhibit the pinning mechanism for condensed droplets. Regeneration of droplets was observed at void spaces generated from coalescence events. The growth of individual droplets was tracked over multiple time and length scales, starting from nucleation to get further insight into the direct growth and coalescence mechanisms.Abbreviation: ESEM: Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope; HCP: Hexagonal Closed-Packed; MPL: Microsphere Photolithography; RH: Relative Humidity

The aim of the current study was to evaluate seasonal effects on growth, digestibility, and metabolism of dairy calves in Georgia. Holstein calves (n = 48 per season) were enrolled at 7 d of age (DOA) from June to Aug (defined as summer, BW = 40 ± 4 kg) and from Nov to Jan (defined as winter, BW = 42 ± 4 kg). Similar general management and feeding practices were applied to calves in both seasons. Calves were housed in individual polyethylene hutches with sand bedding. Starting at 2 DOA, calves were fed a milk replacer (MR) containing 26% protein and 17% fat (0.65 or 0.76 kg of DM/d and mixed with warm water to reach 12.5% solids) and calf starter (CS) was offered ad libitum. Weaning began at 43 DOA by reducing MR 50% until 49 DOA when MR feeding ceased. Calves remained enrolled until 63 DOA. Calf starter intake was recorded daily. Ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) were recorded hourly. Rectal temperature and respiration rate were assessed 3×/wk and BW was measured weekly. Blood was collected to analyze metabolites and insulin at 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, and 63 DOA. The apparent total-tract digestibility of nutrients was measured during both the pre- (14.9-17.9 DOA) and postweaning (51.0-54.0 DOA) periods. The MIXED procedure of SAS was used to analyze repeated measures data. Season, time, and their interactions were included as the fixed effects. The CV of hourly AT or RH within a day was calculated as a proxy of within-day variation. The CV of daily average AT or RH within a week was used as the proxy of day-to-day variation. Linear regression analysis between ADG and environmental parameters was performed using the GLM procedure. Summer months had greater AT (27°C vs. 13°C) but similar RH (83% vs. 81%) relative to winter months, respectively. Rectal temperature and respiration rate were higher during the summer compared with winter. Season had no effect on CS intake before weaning, but summer calves had greater CS intake at 9 wk of age compared with winter calves. No seasonal effect was observed for BW, but summer calves had greater ADG at 3, 5, and 9 wk of age. A negative relationship (R2 = 0.11) between preweaning ADG and within-day AT variation was observed during winter, whereas during the summer day-to-day AT variation was negatively associated with preweaning ADG (R2 = 0.06). Compared with calves raised during winter, calves raised in summer had lower apparent total-tract digestibility of DM, OM, and CP during the preweaning period. Furthermore, summer calves had lower circulating glucose before and after weaning and lower blood BHB concentrations following weaning compared with calves raised in winter. In conclusion, in Georgia, the within-day and day-to-day AT variations affect preweaning calf growth, and calves raised during summer had lower nutrient digestibility and altered metabolism relative to calves raised in winter.

This study focuses on the design and implementation of four identical spherical mobile robots as wireless sensor nodes capable of monitoring ambient temperature and relative humidity. It uses an 11.5 cm diameter hamster-ball as its casing. Each robot is equipped with Arduino Nano, Bluetooth module, humidity and temperature sensor. An android application is used to control movements of the robots and to view the humidity and temperature reading. Bluetooth is used as the communication medium between each robot and the Android application. These robots can move forward, backward, right, left, and can form straight line and square formations. Each spherical robot uses a DC motor connected to its diameter for forward and backward movements while a servo motor is used for shifting a weight inside the ball causing it to tilt to the left or right.

A 3-D nonlinear thermal circuit model of underground MV power cables and their joints