The uncertainties inherent to experimental differential scanning calorimetric data are evaluated. A new procedure is developed to perform the kinetic analysis of continuous heating calorimetric data when the heat capacity of the sample changes during the crystallization. The accuracy of isothermal calorimetric data is analyzed in terms of the peak-to-peak noise of the calorimetric signal and ba...

A geothermal direct-use project utilizes a natural resource, a flow of geothermal fluid at elevated temperatures, which is capable of providing heat and/or cooling to buildings, greenhouses, aquaculture ponds, and industrial processes. Geothermal utilization requires matching the varied needs of the user and characteristics of the resource in order to development a successful project. Each appl...

OBJECTIVE Numerous studies support the use of warmed intravenous fluids in hypothermic patients. The most effective method to accomplish this goal in a cold prehospital, wilderness, or combat setting is unknown. We evaluated various methods of warming intravenous fluids for a bolus infusion in a cold remote environment. METHODS One liter and 500 mL bags of intravenous fluid at 5 degrees C wer...

This work is focused on indoor thermal comfort control problem in buildings equipped with HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems. The occupants thermal comfort is addressed here by a comfort zone in the psychrometric chart and the PMV (Predict Mean Vote) index. In this context, three control algorithms are proposed by using only-one-actuator system associated to a heating equip...

Hyperthermia, the procedure of raising the temperature of a part of or the whole body above normal for a defined period of time, is applied alone or as an adjunctive with various established cancer treatment modalities such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Clinical hyperthermia falls into three broad categories, namely, (1) localized hyperthermia, (2) regional hyperthermia, and (3) whole-body ...

Magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) is a noninvasive image-guided technique used to thermally ablate solid tumors. During treatment, ultrasound reflections from distal media interfaces can shift prescribed treatment locations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of normal incidence reflections from air, acrylic (modeling bone), and rubber on...

BACKGROUND To date, the use of traditional nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) for detection of HIV-1 DNA or RNA has been restricted to laboratory settings due to time, equipment, and technical expertise requirements. The availability of a rapid NAAT with applicability for resource-limited or point-of-care (POC) settings would fill a great need in HIV diagnostics, allowing for timely diagno...

Cold endangers the heat balance of the human body. Protective clothing is the natural and most common equipment against cold stress. However, clothing for cold protection may be bulky and heavy, affecting human performance and increasing the work load. In such cases, a heated garment with built-in heating elements may be helpful. This pilot study presents a method based on a thermal manikin to ...

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods available in nature. This rich nutritive environment attracts microbes to invade, feed and multiply. Salmonella enteritidis is one such microbe that is highly pathogenic and is the causative agent for the disease salmonellosis. To ensure safety of eggs, processing them without affecting their unique physical properties is essential. In this study, the i...

Viscoelastic heating induced by ultrasonic loading is an attractive method of consolidating polymer-matrix composites. An ultrasonically oscillating loading horn is applied to a small region at the laminate surface, which produces a spatially nonuniform strain energy field within the material. A fraction of this strain energy is dissipated during each ultrasonic loading cycle depending on the t...