Wind velocity data modeling plays a crucial role for the estimation of wind load and wind energy. Apart from these, the same modeling must also be used in the load cycle analysis of fatigue failure in slender structures to address periodic vortex shedding. Most authors fitted the entire available range of wind velocities of various locations using Weibull models. However, they did not check the validity of the model in describing the range of extreme wind velocity. In this work, the validity of Weibull models for describing parent as well as extreme hourly mean wind velocity data for four places on the east coast of India has been checked. While it predicts lower wind speeds accurately, the Weibull model has been found to become inappropriate for describing wind velocity in the range of extremes, i.e., above a certain threshold value. Therefore, this article focuses on the techniques of determining a limiting wind velocity beyond which the Weibull distribution is rendered unsuitable. In the range where the Weibull distribution fails, various extreme value distributions, such as Gumbel, Fréchet and reverse Weibull distributions have been compared, thereby determining the best estimator for each location.

Elevated soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) indicates an inflammatory state caused by conditions such as HIV and cancer. Recently suPAR was identified as an indicator of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is highly prevalent in black South Africans, but the potential role of suPAR is unknown. We investigated suPAR as a possible marker of arterial stiffness in Africans and Caucasians.This study involved 207 Africans and 314 Caucasians (aged 20–70 yrs). C-reactive protein (CRP) and suPAR were determined in fasting blood samples. We measured blood pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and Windkessel arterial compliance (Cwk).Africans displayed higher suPAR, CRP, PWV and lower Cwk (p < 0.001) compared to Caucasians. SuPAR was elevated in Africans irrespective of gender and smoking. We found strong relationships between PWV and suPAR (r = 0.27; p < 0.001) and Cwk and suPAR (r = − 0.39; p < 0.001) in the whole group, but found no independent relationship of any arterial stiffness measure and suPAR in Africans after adjustment for confounders. Caucasian men indicated a weak significant independent association between Cwk and suPAR (β = − 0.09; p = 0.028).Africans had higher levels of suPAR and arterial stiffness than Caucasians (p < 0.001), but there was no independent relationship between arterial stiffness and suPAR in the Africans. It is speculated that due to the inflammatory role of suPAR, it will have stronger relationships with atherosclerosis, which has not yet manifested in this relatively young population group. SuPAR may therefore not be an ideal early marker of cardiovascular dysfunction, but may rather indicate established CVD.

Accurate etiological diagnosis is the key to prevention of ocular morbidity in endophthalmitis cases. A 66 year old male was suffering from chronic endophthalmitis post-cataract surgery. Polymerase chain reaction examination on anterior chamber fluid was positive for Propionibacterium acnes but negative for the panfungal genome. He was advised vitrectomy with intravitreal injections. Polymerase chain reaction of vitreous aspirate was positive for P.acnes as well as panfungal genome. The vitreous sample also grew yeast in culture which was identified as Candida pseudotropicalis. Patient was treated on an alternate day regimen of intravitreal Vancomycin and Amphotericin B in the post-operative period. There was improvement in vision at final follow up. Chronic endophthalmitis can have polymicrobial etiology which will require appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The role of molecular testing is vital in these cases as growth in culture is often negative.

The femoral region of the thigh is utilised for various clinical procedures, both open and closed, particularly in respect to arterial and venous cannulations. A rare vascular pattern was observed during the dissection of the femoral region on both sides of the intact formaldehyde-preserved cadaver of a 42-year-old Indian man from West Bengal. The relationships and patterns found were contrary to the belief that the femoral vein is always medial to the artery, just below the inguinal ligament and the common femoral artery. The femoral artery crossed the vein just deep to the inguinal ligament so that the femoral vein was lying deep to the artery at the base of the femoral triangle. Just deep to the inguinal ligament, the profunda femoris artery (deep femoral artery) arose from the femoral artery, and the long saphenous vein drained into the femoral vein. The embryological and clinical correlations are discussed.

A rare variety of origin of obturator artery was found while doing dissection on a 54-year-old Indian male. The artery originated from the posterior division of the internal iliac artery. The rest of its course, as well as other branches of the internal iliac artery were normal. Knowledge of such a variation in the origin of obturator artery is important while doing various gynecological, surgical and orthopedic operations. Obturator artery develops due to uneven growth of the anastomosis between developing internal and external iliac arteries. Obturator artery is last to develop amongst the branches of internal iliac artery. This is likely to be the cause of such a variation

Currently information concerning the role of viruses and bacteria in the pathogenesis of human neoplasms are fragmented and incomplete. International agency for research on cancer has now confirmed seven viral or bacterial agents as carcinogens in humans. The role of these agents is rather complex and a complete understanding of the mechanism involved in the interaction with human host is still evolving.

The application of microwave technology to a diverse range of materials and processes has resulted in a wide spectrum of materials that are commercially processed using microwaves, from the heating of food to the vulcanisation of rubber to the sintering of specialty ceramics. Microwave sintering of elemental or alloy metal powders has gained significance in recent times as a novel processing method since it offers many advantages over the conventional sintering method. Despite substantial R&D investment in this area in the past two decades, no competitive microwave technology has yet emerged for powder metallurgy (PM) sintering. In sharp contrast, because it is 'obvious' that microwaves are reflected by metals, it is not uncommon to be unable to locate many journal papers or literature, wherein metal powders have been sintered in a microwave field. This paper reports the improved mechanical properties and microstructural development of microwave sintered copper and nickel steel PM parts as compared with that obtained using conventional sintering technique.The paper describes the fabrication details of the FC-0208 and FN-0208 composition steel PM parts, and the in house modified commercial microwave oven used for sintering. Microwave sintering resulted in higher sintered density and improved mechanical properties for both Cu and Ni steel PM parts as compared with that processed using conventional sintering under identical conditions. The improved mechanical properties can be attributed primarily to more uniform distribution of the alloying elements, which resulted in greater material homogeneity at the nano- and microlevels as revealed by the Cu and Fe X-ray maps using high spatial resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The optical micrographs of both the etched and unetched samples clearly showed development of novel sintered microstructures having distinct characteristics for the porosity distributions: smooth and rounded pores with low stress concentration regions for microwave sintering as against sharp, triangular and wedge shaped pores with high stress concentration regions for conventional sintering.

Positron measurements, both lifetime and annihilation lineshape, have been performed in Cd, plastically deformed at room temperature by 40 and 60% thickness reductions. Less change in lineshape parameter for 60% deformation is observed. The annealing of 40% deformed sample between 25 and 200°C indicates the breaking up of dislocation network during recrystallisation process.

A survey of flows was conducted at a river confluence with coarse bed material. Bridges were installed on both tributaries, at the confluence and farther downstream on the receiving stream. At these stations, flow velocities were measured over a dense grid for seven conditions ranging from very low flows to the bankfull stage. Hydraulic geometry relationships established at all four stations revealed that flow is accelerated through the confluence as stage rises. At bankfull discharge, average velocity is 1.6 times higher at the confluence than on either tributary. Flow acceleration occurs at and above intermediate flow stages and is concentrated at the centre of a linear pool located at the confluence. The development of a zone of high shear stress is also associated with the cell of high flow velocity. Flow acceleration is dissipated at the exit of the pool where water surges over boulder ribs. The acceleration is not related to the development of flow separation zones as observed by Best and Reid (1984) for wide junction angles, nor is it explained by the reduction of the friction exerted by the banks. Acceleration is associated with the plan geometry of the confluence, with the lateral slopes which permit water to converge, and with a reduction in grain roughness at the confluence. Owing to the curvature of the tributary and to the acute angle of entry, relative power losses through the confluence decrease with increasing stages.

The fluorescence of quenching of carbazoles and indoles by ethylenetrithiocarbonate has been studied. Both steady-state and transient fluorescence experiments were carried out in order to determine rate constants in the case of carbazoles. The results obtained support the charge-transfer mechanism. Ground-state complex formation is assumed to explain the higher rate constants for indole and its derivatives, which appear as positive curvatures in Stem-Volmer plots.

Very dilute solutions of ethylenetritbiocarbonate (ETfe) is shown to quench the luminescence of 3,5-, 2,3-, 2,6and 2,5xylenols in cyclohexane when these solutions are excited with 280nm light. These studies have been extended to dioxane, ethanol and acetonitrile solvents also. The effect of solvent on the rate constants of fluorescence quenching and quantum efficiencies of xylenols have been investigated for the non-emissive exciplex systems in which xylenoIs are the electron donors and ETfC an electron acceptor. The results suggest that a common mechanism is operating for aU the systems and fluorescence is quenched primarily due to transfer of electronic excitation and charge transfer complex formation.