Large scale solar power plant flat roof and carport installation in Finland

This work focuses on the 159.5 kW solar photovoltaic power plant project installed at the Lappeenranta University of Technology in 2013 as an example of what a solar plant project could be in Finland. The project consists of a two row carport and a flat roof installation on the roof of the university laboratories. The purpose of this project is not only its obvious energy savings potential but also to serve as research and teaching laboratory tool. By 2013, there were not many large scale solar power plants in Finland. For this reason, the installation and data experience from the solar power plant at LUT has brought valuable information for similar projects in northern countries. This work includes a first part for the design and acquisition of the project to continue explaining about the components and their installation. At the end, energy produced by this solar power plant is studied and calculated to find out some relevant economical results. For this, the radiation arriving to southern Finland, the losses of the system in cold weather and the impact of snow among other aspects are taken into account.

Transient high-level expression of ß-galactosidase after transfection of fibroblasts from GM1 gangliosidosis patients with plasmid DNA

GM1 gangliosidosis is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by the deficiency of lysosomal acid hydrolase ß-galactosidase (ß-Gal). It is one of the most frequent lysosomal storage disorders in Brazil, with an estimated frequency of 1:17,000. The enzyme is secreted and can be captured by deficient cells and targeted to the lysosomes. There is no effective treatment for GM1 gangliosidosis. To determine the efficiency of an expression vector for correcting the genetic defect of GM1 gangliosidosis, we tested transfer of the ß-Gal gene (Glb1) to fibroblasts in culture using liposomes. ß-Gal cDNA was cloned into the expression vectors pSCTOP and pREP9. Transfection was performed using 4 µL lipofectamine 2000 and 1.5-2.0 µg DNA. Cells (2 x 10(5)/well) were harvested 24 h, 48 h, and 7 days after transfection. Enzyme specific activity was measured in cell lysate and supernatant by fluorometric assay. Twenty-four hours after transfection, treated cells showed a higher enzyme specific activity (pREP9-ß-Gal: 621.5 ± 323.0, pSCTOP-ß-Gal: 714.5 ± 349.5, pREP9-ß-Gal + pSCTOP-ß-Gal: 1859.0 ± 182.4, and pREP9-ß-Gal + pTRACER: 979.5 ± 254.9 nmol·h-1·mg-1 protein) compared to untreated cells (18.0 ± 3.1 for cell and 32.2 ± 22.2 nmol·h-1·mg-1 protein for supernatant). However, cells maintained in culture for 7 days showed values similar to those of untreated patients. In the present study, we were able to transfect primary patients' skin fibroblasts in culture using a non-viral vector which overexpresses the ß-Gal gene for 24 h. This is the first attempt to correct fibroblasts from patients with GM1 gangliosidosis by gene therapy using a non-viral vector.

Serogroups and virulence genotypes of Escherichia coli isolated from patients with sepsis

Sixty strains of Escherichia coli, isolated by hemoculture, from septicemic Brazilian patients were evaluated to determine their serogroup and invasivity to Vero cells. All 60 patients died within 2 days of hospitalization. Furthermore, the molecular study of the following extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli-associated virulence factor (VF) genes was performed by PCR: i) adhesins: type 1 fimbria (fimH), S fimbria (sfaD/E), P fimbria (papC and papG alleles) and afimbrial adhesin (afaB/C); ii) capsule K1/K5 (kpsMTII); iii) siderophores: aerobactin (iucD), yersiniabactin (fyuA) and salmochelin (iroN); iv) toxins hemolysin (hlyA), necrotizing cytotoxic factor type 1 (cnf1) and secreted autotransporter toxin (sat); v) miscellaneous: brain microvascular endothelial cells invasion (ibeA), serum resistance (traT), colicin V (cvaC) and specific uropathogenic protein (usp). Our results showed that isolates are able to invade Vero cells (96.6%), differing from previous research on uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC). The O serogroups associated with UPEC were prevalent in 60% of strains vs 11.7% of other serogroups. The PCR results showed a conserved virulence subgroup profile and a prevalence above 75% for fimH, fyuA, kpsMTII and iucD, and between 35-65% for papC, papG, sat, iroN, usp and traT. The evasion from the immunological system of the host and also iron uptake are essential for the survival of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli strains. Interestingly, among our isolates, a low prevalence of VF genes appeared. Therefore, the present study contributes to the identification of a bacterial profile for sepsis-associated E. coli.

Sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer: results in a large series

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an appropriate method for the evaluation of axillary status in cases of early breast cancer. We report our experience in treating cases evaluated using SLNB. We analyzed a total of 1192 cases assessed by means of SLNB from July 1999 to December 2007. SLNB processing was successfully completed in 1154 cases with the use of blue dye or radiolabeled 99mTc-Dextran-500, or both. Of these 1154 patients, 857 were N0(i-) (no regional lymph node metastasis, negative immunohistochemistry, IHC), 96 were N0(i+) (no regional lymph node metastasis histologically, positive IHC, no IHC cluster greater than 0.2 mm) and 201 were N1mi (greater than 0.2 mm, none greater than 2.0 mm). Most of the tumors (70%) were invasive ductal carcinomas and tumors were staged as T1 in 770 patients (65%). A total of 274 patients underwent SLNB and axillary dissections up to April 2003. The inclusion criteria were tumor size equal to or less than 3 cm in diameter, no clinically palpable axillary lymph nodes, no neoadjuvant therapy. In 19 cases, the SLN could not be identified intraoperatively. A false-negative rate of 11% and a negative predictive value of 88.2% were obtained for the 255 assessable patients. The overall concordance between SLNB and axillary lymph node status was 92%. SLNB sensitivity for nodes was 81% and specificity was 100%. The higher sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and lower false-negative rates of SLNB suggest that this method may be an appropriate alternative to total axillary dissection in early breast cancer patients.

Cytogenetic studies of Brazilian pediatric myelodysplastic syndrome cases: challenges and difficulties in a large and emerging country

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) are rare hematopoietic stem cell diseases affecting children. Cytogenetics plays an important role in the diagnosis of these diseases. We report here the experience of the Cytogenetic Subcommittee of the Brazilian Cooperative Group on Pediatric Myelodysplastic Syndromes (BCG-MDS-PED). We analyzed 168 cytogenetic studies performed in 23 different cytogenetic centers; 84 of these studies were performed in patients with confirmed MDS (primary MDS, secondary MDS, JMML, and acute myeloid leukemia/MDS+Down syndrome). Clonal abnormalities were found in 36.9% of the MDS cases and cytogenetic studies were important for the detection of constitutional diseases and for differential diagnosis with other myeloid neoplasms. These data show the importance of the Cooperative Group for continuing education in order to avoid a late or wrong diagnosis.

Assessing the diversity of the virulence potential ofEscherichia coli isolated from bacteremia in São Paulo, Brazil

Most of the knowledge of the virulence determinants of extraintestinal pathogenicEscherichia coli (ExPEC) comes from studies with human strains causing urinary tract infections and neonatal meningitis and animal strains causing avian colibacillosis. In this research, we analyzed the phylogenetic background, the presence of 20 ExPEC virulence factors, and the intrinsic virulence potential of 74 E. coli strains isolated in São Paulo, Brazil, from 74 hospitalized patients (43 males and 31 females) with unknown-source bacteremia. Unlike other places in the world, the bacteremic strains originated equally from phylogroups B2 (35%) and D (30%). A great variability in the profiles of virulence factors was noted in this survey. Nevertheless, 61% of the strains were classified as ExPEC, meaning that they possessed intrinsic virulent potential. Accordingly, these strains presented high virulence factor scores (average of 8.7), and were positively associated with 12 of 17 virulence factors detected. On the contrary, the non-ExPEC strains, isolated from 39% of the patients, presented a generally low virulence capacity (medium virulence factor score of 3.1), and were positively associated with only the colicin cvaC gene. These results show the importance of discriminating E. coli isolates that possess characteristics of true pathogens from those that may be merely opportunistic in order to better understand the virulence mechanisms involved in extraintestinalE. coli infections. Such knowledge is essential for epidemiological purposes as well as for development of control measures aimed to minimize the incidence of these life-threatening and costly infections.

Potential virulence of Klebsiella sp. isolates from enteral diets

We aimed to evaluate the potential virulence of Klebsiellaisolates from enteral diets in hospitals, to support nosocomial infection control measures, especially among critical-care patients. Phenotypic determination of virulence factors, such as capsular expression on the external membrane, production of aerobactin siderophore, synthesis of capsular polysaccharide, hemolytic and phospholipase activity, and resistance to antibiotics, which are used therapeutically, were investigated in strains ofKlebsiella pneumoniae and K. oxytoca. Modular industrialized enteral diets (30 samples) as used in two public hospitals were analyzed, and Klebsiella isolates were obtained from six (20%) of them. The hypermucoviscous phenotype was observed in one of the K. pneumoniae isolates (6.7%). Capsular serotypes K1 to K6 were present, namely K5 and K4. Under the conditions of this study, no aerobactin production, hemolytic activity or lecithinase activity was observed in the isolates. All isolates were resistant to amoxicillin and ampicillin and sensitive to cefetamet, imipenem, chloramphenicol, gentamicin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. Most K. pneumoniae isolates (6/7, 85.7%) from hospital B presented with a higher frequency of resistance to the antibiotics tested in this study, and multiple resistance to at least four antibiotics (3/8; 37.5%) compared with isolates from Hospital A. The variations observed in the antibiotic resistance profiles allowed us to classify theKlebsiella isolates as eight antibiotypes. No production of broad-spectrum β-lactamases was observed among the isolates. Our data favor the hypothesis that Klebsiella isolates from enteral diets are potential pathogens for nosocomial infections.

Permanent magnet synchronous generator design solution for large directdrive wind turbines: Thermal behavior of the LC DD-PMSG

Wind is one of the most compelling forms of indirect solar energy. Available now, the conversion of wind power into electricity is and will continue to be an important element of energy self-sufficiency planning. This paper is one in a series intended to report on the development of a new type of generator for wind energy; a compact, high-power, direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous generator (DD-PMSG) that uses direct liquid cooling (LC) of the stator windings to manage Joule heating losses. The main param-eters of the subject LC DD-PMSG are 8 MW, 3.3 kV, and 11 Hz. The stator winding is cooled directly by deionized water, which flows through the continuous hollow conductor of each stator tooth-coil winding. The design of the machine is to a large degree subordinate to the use of these solid-copper tooth-coils. Both steady-state and timedependent temperature distributions for LC DD-PMSG were examined with calculations based on a lumpedparameter thermal model, which makes it possible to account for uneven heat loss distribution in the stator conductors and the conductor cooling system. Transient calculations reveal the copper winding temperature distribution for an example duty cycle during variable-speed wind turbine operation. The cooling performance of the liquid cooled tooth-coil design was predicted via finite element analysis. An instrumented cooling loop featuring a pair of LC tooth-coils embedded in a lamination stack was built and laboratory tested to verify the analytical model. Predicted and measured results were in agreement, confirming the predicted satisfactory operation of the LC DD-PMSG cooling technology approach as a whole.

Analysis of virulence genes in Escherichia coli isolated from grated cheese

This research aimed to verify the presence of virulence genes in strains of Escherichia coli isolated from grated cheese sold in farmers' markets of Cuiabá-MT, Brazil. Forty samples of this food were submitted for microbiological analysis and 22 (55%) tested positive for E. coli. Next, 64 strains of E. coli were isolated from the positive samples and screened by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of the genes encoding the following virulence factors: stx1 and stx2 (verotoxin types 1 and 2), eae (intimin), lt1 (heat-labile toxin type 1), st1 (heat-stable toxin type 1), cnf1 and cnf2 (cytotoxic necrozing factor types 1 and 2), and cdtB (cytolethal distending toxin). All the isolates were negative for the genes stx1, stx2, eae, lt1, st1, cnf1, and cdtB, and five strains (7.81%) were positive for cnf2. A low prevalence of E. coli positive for virulence factors associated with the pathogenesis of diarrhoea was observed in this study. However, the presence of CNF-2 producing strains and the possibility of occurrence and scattering of other virulence factors that were not surveyed in the work indicate the risk related to the consumption of grated cheese from farmers' markets.

Water chemistry management for future large experimental facilities

The thesis focuses on the water chemistry of the experimental test facilities and their reference VVER reactors. The main objective of the thesis is to provide recommendations for water chemistry management for laboratory facilities (VEERA, PACTEL) simulating the VVERs and for the large future facilities of the Lappeenranta University of Technology. In the beginning, the concept of nuclear power generation and the applicability of the nuclear power usage is discussed. Next, different water chemistry and water purification systems in primary and secondary circuits currently used at the power plant have been outlined. Also the construction geometry and design of test facilities PACTEL and VEERA, as well as the operation principles of their main equipment has been described. Finally, the appropriate water chemistry and water treatment system have been proposed for the existing and future experimental facilities of LUT.

Developing asset management in district heating and cooling business in a large energy company

The purpose of this Master´s Thesis is to develop asset management and its practices in case company. District heating and cooling systems operated by case company around Finland, Sweden, Poland and the Baltics form an enormous-sized asset base where some parts are starting to reach their end of life-cycles. Large-sized asset renewal actions are under discussion and maintenance spending is increasing. Financially justified decisions in changing business environment are needed. Asset management is one of the most important concepts for production organization which operates with capital-intensive production assets. Organizations profitability is highly dependent on assets´ performance. Such assets, like district heating and cooling systems, should be utilized as efficiently as possible within their life-cycles but also maintained and renewed optimally. In this qualitative thesis, empirical interview study was conducted to describe the current situation on how the assets are managed in the case company and to examine the readiness to implement a new, risk-based solution. Asset management revealed to be a very well-known concept. From proposed risk-based asset management point of view, several key observations were made. It was seen as a suitable solution, but further development will be needed. Based on the need and findings, several key processes and frameworks were created and also tested with a case study. Assets` condition monitoring should be improved, which would have a positive impact on event probability assessment. Risk acceptance is also a thing to be discussed further. When the evaluation becomes fluent in single investment cases, portfolio-level expansion should be considered and started. As a result, thesis proposes a solution how risk-based asset management could be performed practically in a capital-intensive case company in order to optimize the maintenance spending in a long run. Created practical framework is made universal: similar principles can be applied into multiple cases in case company but also in other energy companies. Risk-based asset management`s benefits could be utilized best in portfolio-level optimization where the capital would be invested to the most important objects from total risk point of view. Eventually, such approach would allow case company to optimize capital spending in a situation where funds are not adequate to cover all the mandatory needs and prioritization between the investment alternatives will truly be needed.

Solving large sparse linear systems over the field GF(2)

Nowadays problem of solving sparse linear systems over the field GF(2) remain as a challenge. The popular approach is to improve existing methods such as the block Lanczos method (the Montgomery method) and the Wiedemann-Coppersmith method. Both these methods are considered in the thesis in details: there are their modifications and computational estimation for each process. It demonstrates the most complicated parts of these methods and gives the idea how to improve computations in software point of view. The research provides the implementation of accelerated binary matrix operations computer library which helps to make the progress steps in the Montgomery and in the Wiedemann-Coppersmith methods faster.

A map or chart of the Gulfs of Finland and Livonia with their respective ports and harbours, together with a large Plan of Kroonstad and St. Petersburg, taken from an original drawing lately sent from St. Petersburg

Sold by M. Senex at the Globe over against St. Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet London.

Preparation and Investigation of Bio-coal Mixture Fuels Used in Large Diesel Engines

Coal slurry was of vital interest during the last century due to its potential as an alternative fuel where liquid fuels were necessary. Recently, environmental impacts of the traditional fuels, similarities of bio-coal to that of coal, and huge bio-coal supply has attracted the attention to prepare bio-coal slurries as a new fuel. Rudolf Diesel who invented the diesel engine on 1895 was of the opinion that diesel engines are capable to use different kinds of fuels due to the special design. He tried some kind of vegetable oil to operate on his IC engine. Recently, due to high energy density and more environmentally friendly fuel, researchers believe that bio-coal slurries could act as a new alternative fuel in large diesel engines. Loads of research on different kinds of bio-coal slurry were done by the other researchers worldwide and a lot of progress to boost slurry’s quality were achieved recently. The present study aims to achieve the ideal condition of different factors affecting on the quality of bio-coal slurry. One charcoal sample and two kinds of torrefied wood were used to investigate and compare the reaction of various factors. The results show a great gap between the quality of slurries made of different samples and more researches are necessary to fully understand the impact of the different parameter and improving the quality.