Plenty Of Sunshine Research Articles

Are Maternal Vitamin D (25(OH)D) Levels a Predisposing Risk Factor for Neonatal Growth? A Cross-Sectional Study.

Neonatal bone mass may potentially be influenced by existing maternal vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels. Few studies evaluated maternal vitamin D deficiency (VDD) with neonatal anthropometrics such as weight, height and head circumference (HC), especially in Greece, which is a Mediterranean country with plenty of sunshine and consequently benefits the synthesis of 25(OH)D. We investigated this potential association in Greece, taking into account the administration or not of prenatal vitamin D supplements. The purpose of our study is to ascertain if there is a possible association between maternal VDD and neonatal specific anthropometric characteristics (weight, height and HC) at birth. If this is confirmed by future clinical studies, it would be of interest to develop a prenatal pregnancy selection program that would detect VDD early or during pregnancy in order to improve fetal-neonatal development in a Mediterranean country like ours. We performed a cross-sectional study on 248 early early term infants (after 37 + 0 to 38 + 6 weeks of gestation) but also on full-term infants (after 39 to 40 weeks of gestation) and their Greek mothers from September 2019 to January 2022. Blood samples of 25(OH)D were taken from the mother at the beginning of labor and cord blood was taken from the newborn. Pregnant women were divided into two groups: those who received or did not receive a normal dose of calcium (500 mg/day) and vitamin D supplements (400-800 IU/day) as instructed by their treating physicians. Our findings revealed a positive association between maternal VDD and low neonate birth weight (LBW) in women receiving vitamin D during pregnancy and no association between maternal VDD and neonatal height or head circumference (HC) at birth. Overall, this study highlighted the association between maternal VDD at the end of gestation and LBW neonates born to mothers who received vitamin D supplementation. We did not find any correlation in two of the three somatometric characteristics studied, height and HC. In any case, more clinical studies are needed to further corroborate any potential association of maternal VDD with other neonatal somatometric characteristics.

Solar Panel Study in the Desert Climate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The negative effects of climate change and global warming are no longer a futuristic issue to deal with. This is the result of the continued and extensive use of fossil fuels and subsequent greenhouse gasses emissions such as CO2. Earth has been warming at an alarmingly fast pace the last 40 years due to greenhouse gas emission and the trapping of heat in the atmosphere. To slow down and eliminate this unnatural warming rate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is essential. This is accomplished by an increase in the deployment and use of clean renewable energy. Solar energy continues to play a significant role in the clean energy shift due to the abundance and unlimited supply of energy provided by the sun. The use of solar energy is on an exponential rise thanks to recent government policies to reduce emissions. For example, solar energy production in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 2009-2019 shows an exponential rise starting in 2016 reaching almost 3500 GWh of production in 2019 [1]. The UAE is also home to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. The largest single site solar park the world. This project will help reduce more than 6.5 million tons of emissions and will have capacity of 5000 megawatts [2].The United Arab Emirates is an ideal region for solar due the amount of sunshine and with very few cloudy/rainy days. However, desert climates have their own unique challenges, such as extreme heat and soling. Temperatures can reach above 40 in summer months in the UAE with high humidity and effect of soiling from dust is not very well understood [3]. Also, what is important is finding the optimal angle and direction of roof top solar panels to maximize the power and limit these negative effects.In this work, we studied a real solar panel on the rooftop in Abu Dhabi. The solar panel was bought from a local vendor in the UAE. The solar panel is polysilicon with specs: 10W, Vmp 18V, Imp 0.56A, Voc 24.4V and ISC 0.69A under AM1.5G at 25°C. We placed the panel on a roof top in Abu Dhabi at Khalifa University. To find the optimal angle and location we tested the panels at 12noon to maximum sun power. We first fixed the angle around 22° based on literature, and then modified the direction from north, south, west and east to find which direction gave the peak. We found that south gave the highest power from the rest (10.32W). Then we changed from angle from this data from 0°-90° in steps of 10°. The data showed the maximum power is when panel is facing south with angle between 25°-30°. The optimum placement of solar panels is key in helping to mitigate the negative desert effects such at heat and soiling. In addition, to this study, we also studied the panel for a continuous period to see effects of soling and longer-term heat exposure. More on this data will be added to in the poster to be presented.In summary, the use for solar panels is key to help prevent the negative effect of climate change. In desert like conditions, while there is plenty of sunshine, the negative effects of soling and temperature is not fully studied yet. Finding the optimum, angle and direction is key it get the peak performance of the panel and helping to mitigate some of these negative effects. Also studying the long-term effects of the temperature and soiling is important. Finally, knowing the negative effects can help researchers find new materials and solutions for solar cells for desert like environments.[1] E. Agency, "Renewables Information," July 2021. [Online].[2] T. National, "Road to Net Zero," 09 May 2019. [Online][3] O. Albadwawi et al., "Quantification of spectral losses of Natural soiling and detailed microstructural analysis of Dust collected from Different locations in Dubai, UAE," 2019 IEEE 46th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2019, pp. 3115-3118, doi: 10.1109/PVSC40753.2019.8980937. Figure 1

Relationship Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Bacterial Load Sputum in Tuberculosis Patients in Simalungun, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract: Vitamin D is involved in innate and adaptive immune function and its deficiency is a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) infection. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients and to examine the relationship between vitamin D levels and sputum swab positivity, which reflects bacterial load. This is a cross-sectional study conducted from June 2022 to August 2022 at multiple primary health care facilities at Buntu Turunan Public Health Center and Perdagangan Regional General Hospital, Simalungun Regency. Up to 101 adult tuberculosis patients who were sputum smear-positive, untreated, on treatment, or had a treatment duration of 1 week or less to her were recruited. Sputum examination was scored using the International Union for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) rating scale. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D level was estimated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and interpreted as deficiency (<20 ng/mL), insufficiency (20-29 ng/mL), or optimum (30-100 ng/mL). The association between vitamin D levels and positive levels of AFB sputum was analyzed using Spearman's correlation test. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in new pulmonary tuberculosis patients with positive sputum smear was 20.79%. There was a weak relationship between vitamin D levels and AFB sputum positive levels (p=0.017), with a correlation coefficient of (-0.278). Despite Indonesia being an equatorial region and having plenty of sunshine throughout the year, many of the newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients were vitamin D deficient. This study shows that vitamin D does influence bacterial load and that low levels of 25(OH)-vitamin D are associated with higher bacterial load.

Thermal performance analysis of a novel direct absorption solar collector augmented solar still using silver nanofluids

AbstractSolar desalination is a viable alternative for clean water for the areas where plenty of sunshine is available throughout the year. Due to less productivity of distilled water in passive solar still, it is still a challenge for the researchers to commercialize this low‐cost renewable technology. In the last decade, much effort has been made by researchers to improve the overall productivity of solar stills by expanding novel active system methods. For the work presented here, a novel nanofluid‐laden reverse‐irradiated direct absorption solar collector (RI‐DASC) augmented active solar still is proposed and tested under laboratory conditions for the very first time. Ag nanoparticles of sizes ~5–10 nm were used to prepare the nanofluids and were used as working fluid in the RI‐DASC system. The system transfers the heat to the basin of active solar still directly omitting the need of piping arrangement. Experiments were conducted under different ambient conditions and for different mass loadings of Ag nanoparticles, that is, 0.1 mg L−1, 0.2 mg L‐1, and 0.4 mg L−1 in RI‐DASC augmented active solar still. The results showed that the temperature difference between the top glass cover and the basin of solar still was significantly higher in novel active solar compared to the conventional single slope passive still. Ag nanofluids with a mass fraction of 0.4 mg L−1 lead to a maximum temperature rise and thus overall thermal efficiency over other tested Ag nanofluids. The novel DASC augmented active solar still is practically viable using reflectors and can enhance the freshwater productivity over a conventional solar still.

Is age of menarche directly related to vitamin D levels?

Very few studies have examined the direct link between age of menarche and vitamin D level and controversial results have been reported. This study aimed to investigate the association between vitamin D and age of menarche in a group of adolescent girls in an area with plenty of sunshine. At baseline, data were collected on 722 middle schoolgirls that were randomly selected by probability proportional to size sampling method. Of this group, 598 were followed including 173 who had their menarche during the follow-up. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was measured at baseline using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Data on potential confounders were collected at baseline from the parents using self-administered questionnaire and from schoolgirls through face-to-face interview. Multiple linear regression and time-to-event analysis were used to investigate the association between 25OHD concentration and age of menarche. The mean (SD) age of the study group was 12.51 (0.91) years while the main (SD) age of menarche was 11.82 (1.04) years. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) among schoolgirls was 91.69%. We found no evidence for the association between 25OHD levels and age of menarche before (β, .00, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-0.01, 0.01]; p=.808) or after (β, .00, 95% CI [-0.01, 0.01]; p=.765) adjusting for potential confounders. We also found no evidence for association between 25OHD status and age of menarche before (p=.424) or after (p=.356) adjusting for potential confounders. Time-to-event analysis showed no association between 25OHD level or status and age of menarche (p=.850). In Middle Eastern setting, where vitamin D deficiency is common despite plenty of sunshine, vitamin D is not a major determinant of the age at menarche. Regardless of the link between vitamin D and age of menarche, there are several other health benefits of having adequate vitamin D level during childhood and adolescence.

Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination

With the dimension of renewable energy and resources from the earth, solar power has come as a bundle of a package for energy production by using PV solar cells for residential applications. Extension of freshwater from the earth produces water near a city in different parts of the worldwide is the serious problem especially in North African countries and the Middle East. So, for the survival of humanity, desalination is a necessity for the living and with the use of natural energy i.e., plenty of sunshine coming from the sun. With recent advancements in technology in the field of solar power & improving the design of energy conversion systems operating on solar energy harvesting & converting it into electricity with the help of thermopiles. The major focus is on designing & designing parameters with the overall performance enhancement of the proposed energy conversion system. Nowadays, solar energy can also be employed independently or with fossil fuels to reduce CO2 emission & the Levelized cost of power generation. But with the advancement of the supercritical Brayton cycle also informs the prospects of lower Levelized cost for higher efficiency at accessible temperature.

Growth and Yield Performance of Selected Wheat Genotypes at Variable Irrigation Management

Growth and Yield Performance of Selected Wheat Genotypes at Variable Irrigation Management

English

BACKGROUND India has plenty of sunshine, yet people here are deprived of vitamin D – ‘sunshine vitamin’. According to endocrine society of India, vitamin D levels of &lt; 20 ng / mL is considered to be vitamin D deficiency. The objective of the study was to evaluate seasonal variation of vitamin D and give an insight on risk factors such as age, gender, diet, body mass index, occupation, skin complexion and body surface area exposure on vitamin D level. METHODS The study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Mangalore on 109 apparently healthy individuals. The same cohort of subjects was followed for two seasons - summer and winter. Serum was collected and analysed for 25-OH vitamin D, calcium and phosphorous. Skin color was assessed according to the Fitzpatrick classification, questionnaire was given to assess the approximate time limit of sun exposure in a day along with the exposed areas to sunlight and anthropometric parameters such as height and weight were measured using standard guidelines. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Comparison of mean vitamin D along with the factors influencing them in both seasons was done using paired t test. Inferential statistical analysis was done using chi-square test. Pearson correlation test was also done. Statistical significance was considered at P &lt; 0.05. RESULTS Mean vitamin D was higher in summer (15.14 ± 5.62) as compared to winter (14.42 ± 5.38) irrespective of the risk factors. Vitamin D deficiency was highest in older age group (83.9 %), females (84.6 %), overweight (100 %), vegetarians (92.3 %), office workers (91.2 %), both complexions and those exposed with &lt; 1.5 hours of sunlight (97.2 %). Vitamin D deficiency was also more prevalent in those with lesser exposed body surface area. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D deficiency was statistically most common in winter than summer. It was seen correlating with majority of the risk factors, except skin complexion and among the confounding factors. The key for vitamin D production in this population was maximum body surface area exposure (face, hand, leg and feet) to sunlight for more than 2.5 hours, yet these subjects were vitamin D deficient. However, they did not manifest with any skeletal or extra-skeletal morbidity. Thus, concluding that a reliable cut off value for reference range of vitamin D should be set in this population in order to abstain from excess vitamin D treatment. KEY WORDS Sunshine Vitamin, Vitamin D Deficiency, Mangalore, Skin Colour, Sunlight Exposure, Body Surface Area, Summer, Winter

Performance enhancement and infra-red (IR) thermography of solar photovoltaic panel using back cooling from the waste air of building centralized air conditioning system

Gulf countries like the UAE are blessed with plenty of sunshine over the whole year. The solar photovoltaic system is an appropriate alternative for the production of electricity. Solar irradiance is partially converted into electricity and the remaining is dissipated as accumulated heat which elevates the operating temperature of the solar PV panel. The elevated temperature has adverse effect on the electrical performance of SPV panels. In this study, a unique back cooling, through the application of waste air from a centralized air conditioning system, is presented to compensate for the degradation of electrical power by the temperature. The experimental results have shown an average reduction of 18.05°C in the operating temperature of the examined monocrystalline solar panel, which improves the generated electrical power by8.65%. In a typical clear day of July, an improvement of 0.97%in the electrical efficiency of the SPV panel has been achieved through the proposed cooling strategy. The electrical energy produced by the cooled SPV panel is 677.89 Wh/day, as compared to 623.90 Wh/day of the reference panel. The results have justified the viability of waste air from the air conditioning system as a novel application of back cooling of SPV panels. The IR thermography is also employed to study the distribution of temperature and the estimation of the performance of SPV panels, along with the detection of the superficial defects. In the end, a new correlation is developed to accurately estimate the output power of the PV panel through IR measured temperature.

Vitamin D: role of vitamin D in human health beyond skeleton

Deficiency of vitamin D is now considered as epidemic in Indian subcontinent, with a prevalence of 70-94% in the general population. Like in US, Indian dairy products are rarely fortified with vitamin D. Socioreligious and cultural practices followed in India do not facilitate adequate sun exposure, thereby negating potential benefits of plentiful sunshine resulting in vitamin D deficiency. Deficiency is highly prevalent in both urban and rural settings. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and infections. In present review authors have revisited the details pertaining to vitamin D to increase the awareness on Vitamin D efficiency.

Machine learning-based improvement of empiric models for an accurate estimating process of global solar radiation

The change of the solar radiation reaching the earth depending on specific conditions brings the execution of system planning meticulously and optimally by solar power researchers to the fore. For the estimation of the solar radiation, the most frequently used model is the Angtröm-Prescott model. In this model, sunshine ratio plays an important role. In the study, it is attempted to enhance the annual and semi-annual models developed for the city of Muğla, Turkey and to congregate the semi-annual models in a single model by using the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm. The results obtained have revealed that in the multiple model relying on only the sunshine duration, the statistical error values were not reduced to very low levels. In order to cope with this problem, the multiple model relying on both the sunshine duration and the sunset-sunrise hour angle has been proposed. In this way, the statistical errors are found to be reduced by about 40% using the ABC algorithm and the multiple model. It was seen that the models recommended are superior to all the models especially in summer and spring months when there is plenty of sunshine.

Supervised Machine Learning Techniques for Predicting Sugarcane Yield

Agriculture is the most important sector in the Indian economy and contributes 18% of Gross Domestic Product(GDP). India is the second largest producer of sugarcane crop and produces about 20% of the world's sugarcane. Sugarcane is cultivated in tropics and subtropic regions, on a wide range of soils from fertile well-drained mollisols to through heavy cracking vertisols, infertile acid oxisols, peaty histosols, to rocky andisols. Minimum moisture of 60cms, rich water supply and plenty of sunshine. In this paper, a novel approach to sugarcane yield forecasting in Karnataka, India region using Long Term Time Series(LTTS), weather-and-soil attributes, Normalized Vegetation Index(NDVI) and Supervised Machine Learning(SML) algorithms have been proposed. Sugarcane cultivation life cycle(SCLC) in the Karnataka region is about 12 months, with plantation beginning at three different seasons in weather condition. Our approach has been verified using historical dataset and results have shown that our approach has successfully modeled crop prediction. The application of the Custom-Kernel gives us a considerable boost in accuracy with SVM-Kernel Multiple giving 86.31% of accuracy, SVM-RBF kernel in second with an accuracy of 83.40%, GPR producing an accuracy score of 81.75%, Lasso giving an accuracy score of 26.81% and Kernel Ridge-RBF with the least accuracy score of 21.46% for final yield prediction.

Potable water by solar thermal distillation in solar salt works and performance enhancement by integrating with evacuated tubes

Solar salt farms are located in remote coastal regions where the ground water is saline. During the salt harvesting season, the salt workers face difficulties owing to shortage of potable water at-site. Nevertheless such locations are blessed with plenty of sunshine and in-situ desalination for potable water in solar distillation system or still, benefits the workers to a great extent. Since such solar stills are directly applied in field, the design and operation approach ought to be such, that water output is high and maintenance easy. In this work, we report analysis of stepped type basin still and enhancement of output by integrating with evacuated tube collectors (ETC). The average augmentation of productivity was 24% by the integration during the period of March to May 2018. The study of warm feed water charging time from ETC was an important aspect and it was found that highest production could be obtained by night-charging, due to low top glass temperature which led to increased condensation and more productivity. 8.1 L per day from 2 m2 basin area was the maximum productivity from ETC integrated unit. The novelty of the work involves incorporation of particular operational features like (a) single basin stepped tilted absorber with triangular exposure area, avoiding shadow effect; (b) distance between glass and water surface minimum for facile evaporation; (c) easy cleaning of the deposited salts by overflowing water from tilted surface; and (d) endurance of glass tubes of ETC in corrosive salty environment.

Plasma 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D is not Associated with Acne Vulgaris.

Few studies have investigated the association between Acne vulgaris (AV) and vitamin D level. In this study we aimed to investigate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-VitD) level and AV in a country with plenty of sunshine. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 714 adolescents who were randomly selected from public schools using multistage cluster random sampling with probability proportional to size. 25-OH-VitD levels were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) was used to assess the severity of AV. Data on potential confounders were collected from the parents through a self-administered questionnaire, and from the adolescents using a face-to-face interview. Of 714 participants, 351 (41.16%) were males. The mean (standard deviation (SD)) age was 12.28 (0.81) years. AV was observed in 479 (67.1%) adolescents. There was no significant association between 25-OH-VitD level and clinically assessed AV before or after adjusting for potential confounders. This was consistent whether 25-OH-VitD was fitted as a continuous variable or categorized using acceptable cutoff points or tertiles. In this study vitamin D status was not associated with AV, therefore our data do not support vitamin D supplementation either to treat or to prevent AV.

Vitamin D status among women aged 40 years and above in a rural area of West Bengal: A community-based study.

Introduction:Vitamin D deficiency is a recognized pandemic. Even in a tropical country like India, where there is plentiful sunshine, vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent. Adult females, particularly those above the age of 40, are mostly affected because vitamin D determines the pattern of post-menopausal bone loss and age-related osteoporosis.Methods:A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April–December 2017 among 194 women aged 40 years and above residing in the village of Singur, West Bengal. For this study, multistage random sampling method was used. Each respondent was interviewed using a structured schedule to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, dietary pattern, their daily sun exposure, tobacco use, and morbidity profile. Individuals with 25OH vitamin D <30ng/ml were said to have vitamin D insufficiency (VDI). Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 16.0.Results:Out of 194 participants, 70.6% had VDI (Vitamin D deficient-19.6%, Vitamin D insufficient-51.0%). Mean (SD) age of the participant was 56.9 (8.9) years. Mean (SD) duration of daily sun exposure was 138.5 (59.2) minutes. 74 (38.1%) had overweight/obesity. Only 73 (37.6%) had adequate diet. Test results revealed low SES, decreasing duration of daily sun exposure, diabetes, overweight/obesity, and inadequate diet as significant predictors of VDI, explaining 39.3% of the variance with model fit.Conclusion:The study has identified factors associated with VDI among the study participants. Emphasis on promoting consumption of vitamin D rich food and with vitamin D supplements, outdoor activities to increase sun exposure, maintaining optimum body weight, and strictly adhering to diabetes control will help alleviate the problem at large.

Frequency of Vitamin D Deficiencies in Children Who Living in the South-East of Turkey Region with Plenty of Sunshine

Objectives: The present study was designed to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folic acid levels and nutritional status among 24 to 60 months children. Methods: In this cross-sectional study were performed 116 children at DiyarbakA„±r children hospital. Serum vitamin B12, folic acid and vitamin D levels were measured in all children. Anthropometric indices of weight-for-age and BMI-for-age were used to estimate the children's nutritional status. Z-scores for weight-for-age (WAZ) were derived from Epi info and WHO Anthro Plus softwares. The nutritional status was classified as normal (± 2SD), moderate (<-2SD ≥ -3SD) and severe (<-3SD). Results: The mean serum levels of Vitamin B12, vitamin D, Folic acid and haemoglobinin the study population were 223.1 ± 8.89 pg/mL, 23.5 ± 8.97 ng/mL, 26.5 ± 18.4 ng/mL and 11.6 ± 3.24 g/dL, respectively. Vitamin D deficiency, Folate deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency occurred in 41.4%, 3.4%, and 24.1% of the 24 to 60 months children, respectively. The mean levels of the biochemical indices of vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folic acid levels and haemoglobin levels were not statistically significantly different among different levels of nutritional status normal (p>0.05) and moderate (p>0.05). Conclusion: The present study shows that, despite the sunny environment, vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among of 24 to 60 months children. These findings suggest that much more efficient vitamin D prophylaxis programs should be implemented for risk groups such as infants and 24 to 60 months children.

Solar powered baby/infant radiant warmer installed in neonatal intensive care unit in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Context: Hypothermia is common in infants born at hospitals (32%–85%) and at homes (11%–92%). Hypothermia does not lead to mortality directly; it contributes globally to newborn survival mostly as comorbidity of neonatal infection, preterm birth, low birth weight babies, and asphyxia, even in tropical countries such as India. The problem of low birth infants is 30% in our country. One of the estimates of reducing neonatal deaths is to provide warmth to the baby. By giving warmth to the baby either skin to skin contact or incubator or open care system, the potential impact in reducing the neonatal deaths is estimated at 1.8%–42%. Aim: India is going through energy crisis, a solar powered baby warmer was thought of to prevent hypothermia in the newborn care. Setting and Design: An open care infant warmer was planned to connect to solar rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), in a tertiary hospital in New Delhi. The PV system was designed for about 10 h of working, to generate for approximately 4 kWh of energy per day. Methods: Solar panels were connected to one open care radiant warmer with an inbuilt energy meter in a NICU in a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi. Energy meter was also connected to the AC mains/grid to know if any current is drawn from the grid. Energy meter readings were taken at the time of installation of solar radiant warmer and at the end of 368 days at the end of all the seasons. Results: The solar powered radiant warmer was successfully installed in the NICU and fully functional since December 10, 2012. The preliminary energy consumption study shows that PV panels of 1.2 kWp were more than enough to run one radiant warmer. At least two radiant warmers could be connected in the panel size used. There is no running cost as the electricity saved in the 1st year was equal to the cost solar panel and cost of radiant warmer. Conclusions: The solar powered baby warmer is environment-friendly. In rural areas where power supply is erratic and where there is plenty of sunshine, this product will help in the care of high-risk infants in Level II special care newborn units in district hospital and neonatal stabilizing units in subdistrict levels at primary health center and community health center.

Prevalence and Predictors of Hypovitaminosis D Among Female University Students in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUNDA high hypovitaminosis D prevalence has repeatedly been reported in Middle Eastern countries. Previous data regarding the vitamin D status of young women in Saudi Arabia and the related hypovitaminosis D risk factors are scarce, so this research assessed hypovitaminosis D prevalence and its risk factors among apparently healthy female university students in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.METHODSThis cross-sectional research used a convenience sample of healthy female students (n = 180) aged between 19 and 25 years in May 2016. Information was gathered on the participants’ sociodemographics, health, lifestyle, dietary intakes, anthropometry, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and a logistic regression analysis was performed to assess hypovitaminosis D risk factors.RESULTSThe sample’s hypovitaminosis D prevalence (25(OH)D <30 ng/mL) was 80.6%. The main determinants of hypovitaminosis D were as follows: urban residence (odds ratio [OR] = 6.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.74–5.63), rare sun exposure (OR = 6.14; 95% CI, 2.15–17.55), and insufficient vitamin D intake (OR = 2.50; 95% CI, 1.07–5.81).CONCLUSIONSThe findings emphasize that despite plentiful sunshine, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East face a vitamin D deficiency epidemic. Vitamin D status must therefore be assessed at the national level so that strategies aimed at boosting vitamin D levels can be instigated.

Vitamin D and non-skeletal health

Vitamin D deficiency is pandemic, yet it is the most under-diagnosed and under-treated nutritional deficiency in the world. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in individuals irrespective of their age, gender, race, socio-economic status and geography. However, vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent despite plentiful sunshine even in tropical countries like India. Vitamin D deficiency has a bearing not only on skeletal but also on extra skeletal diseases. Owing to its multifarious implications on health, the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in India is likely to significantly contribute to the enormous burden on the healthcare system of India. Vitamin D can play a role in decreasing the risk of many chronic illnesses, including common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular disease.

Performance study on a grid connected 20 kWp solar photovoltaic installation in an industry in Tiruchirappalli (India)

This paper discusses the details and results obtained from a study carried out on a roof top 20kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in a reputed manufacturing industry in India. Although there is plenty of sunshine, various financial supports and government policies, the growth of photovoltaic (PV) power plants in developing countries is still facing significant barriers due to unclear techno-economic aspects of the PV power plant. Therefore this paper highlights a few salient features of the installation, operational performance and economic calculations of a grid connected solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant. A few important aspects of solar power plant installation such as the feasibility of location in terms of geographical data, solar panel mounting design, interfacing aspects of PV system with grid are outlined. The results obtained from the study such as month wise energy generation, performance ratio, capacity factor, maintenance aspects, economic analysis, etc. of the system are discussed in detail. The study enables researchers and engineers in this area to understand roof top solar PV power plant and its economic viability. It is expected that this study will encourage and provide guidance to industries in this region to set-up similar PV power plants.