Parametric sensitivity analysis for a natural gas fueled high temperature tubular solid oxide fuel cell.

For more than the last two decades, there has been research going on to develop advanced energy technologies involving minimum environmental pollution, to replace the conventional fossil energy systems. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are one of the most promising, eco-friendly and efficient means for the generation of electricity to meet the future energy requirements. This research work focuses on the parametric sensitivity analysis for natural gas fueled high temperature tubular SOFC. Firstly, for the tubular SOFC, a one-dimensional radially symmetrical model has been developed and solved using the finite-difference method. Then, the effect of the variation of important operational and design parameters on its performance has been analyzed. The parameters typically include composition, inlet fuel temperature, pressure, length of SOFC tube and thicknesses of its components. The composition is expressed as steam to methane ratio and it has been observed that the voltage and power density developed by the SOFC diminishes as the ratio increases. Further, a change in the inlet fuel pressure of the tubular SOFC has no pronounced influence on the voltage and power density developed. On the other hand, with an increase in the inlet fuel temperature, a small improvement in these performance characteristics is exhibited. The axial length of the tubular SOFC does conspicuously influence its performance characteristics but solely at current densities greater than 4000A/m2. An increase in the thickness of its components results in a reduction in its voltage and power density developed. The largest decline in these performance characteristics with the increase in thickness is observed for electrolyte followed by cathode and anode respectively.

The Influence of Weather on the Incidence of Primary Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage has been associated with changes in various weather conditions. The primary aim of this study was to examine the collective influence of temperature, barometric pressure, and dew point temperature on the incidence of primary spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). METHODS: Between January 2013 and December 2016, patients with sICH due to hypertension or amyloid angiopathy with a known time of onset were identified prospectively. Meteorological variables 6 hours prior to time of onset were obtained from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration via two weather stations. Using a Monte-Carlo simulation, random populations of meteorological conditions in a 6-hour time window during the same years were generated. The actual meteorological conditions 6-hours prior to sICH were compared to those from the randomly generated populations. The false discovery rate method was used to identify significant meteorological variables. RESULTS: Time of onset was identified in 455 of 603 (75.5%) patients. Distribution curves for change in temperature, mean barometric pressure, and change in barometric pressure 6-hours prior to hemorrhage ictus were found to be significantly different from the random populations. (FDR approach P < .05). For a given change in temperature associated with intracerebral hemorrhage, mean barometric pressure was higher (1018 millibar (mb) versus 1016 mb, P = .03). Barometric pressure data was not influenced by variations in temperature. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that barometric pressure primarily influences the incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage. The association described in the literature between temperature and intracerebral hemorrhage is likely confounded by variations in barometric pressure.

Intraoral desmoplastic fibroma: a manifestation of tuberous sclerosis.

Desmoplastic fibroma (DF) is a benign but locally aggressive tumor usually recognized as an intraosseous counterpart of soft tissue fibromatosis in both gnathic and extra-gnathic sites. The most common site is mandible followed by pelvis and long bones. Maxilla has been reported to be involved very rarely. Desmoplastic fibroma is recently being considered to be one of the oral manifestations of tuberous sclerosis rather than a coincidental finding. We report an unusual case of a girl with a previous diagnosis of tuberosclerosis who presented at 8 years with an oral lesion diagnosed as desmoplastic fibroma.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy in oral cavity at unusual age.

The melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy is an extremely rare, fast-growing but benign lesion, commonly occurring in the maxilla of children within the first year of life. Only about 380 cases of this particular tumor have been documented in the medical literature and very few of them have been reported to have occurred in late childhood. We describe here a relatively uncommon presentation of melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy of maxilla arising from palatal gingiva of a 10 year-old female, its course and management by surgical excision with safe margins.

Clinical spectrum of cleidocranial dysplasia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Cleidocranial dysplasia is a developmental anomaly of the skeleton and the teeth. This condition may be inherited, be transmitted as dominant characteristics in either sex, or even may appear spontaneously. It presents with skeletal defects of several bones, like partial or complete absence of clavicles, late closure of the fontanels, presence of open skull sutures and multiple wormian bones. CASE PRESENTATION: In this case report, we describe an otherwise healthy 30 year-old male with a chief complaint of missing anterior maxillary and Mandibular teeth. CONCLUSION: Cleidocranial dysplasia is very rare in occurrence, incidence being 1: 1,000,000. Since early diagnosis of cleidocranial dysplasia is essential for initiating the appropriate treatment approach, clinicians should be aware of the characteristic features. We report a case of cleidocranial dysplasia because of its rarity.