The aim of the project was to develop a PCR method to detect HLA-B27 at the Immunology Department of St. James hospital in Dublin. The HLA-B27 gene is common among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Ninety percent of patients with AS have the HLA-B27 gene and it is therefore counted as a risk factor and could be used as part of the diagnosis. Twenty-two frozen blood samples from patients with AS or suspected AS were donated from the rheumatology department at St. James hospital. PCR is a well known and common technique, many hospital laboratories have a PCR machine and therefore PCR is a good choice for detection of the HLA-B27 gene. A multiplex PCR was developed where a PCR control, primers to the β-globin gene, was used in the same tube as the HLA-B27 primers, to secure that the PCR worked in every tube. Finally a blind test was performed to test the specificity of the PCR. The result shows that the specificity was 100%. Of all patient samples, sixteen was HLA-B27 positive and six were HLA-B27 negative. In addition, optimal conditions for the PCR and the way to extract DNA from frozen blood were successfully established. For future diagnosis, the described PCR can be used to detect the HLA-B27 gene in patients and it can be considered as a start for further development of a real-time PCR for detection of the HLA-B27.

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Master thesis is dealing with the issue of condensate creation and removal from the Nesher Ramle steam turbine during start-up and steady state. At the beginning a preliminary calculation of heat balance and the turbine itself is done. It is followed by description and design of drainage system supplemented by calculation of the steam flow through the orifices. Steam flow calculation was done via S. D. Morris, Pavelek with Kalčík and Ambrož, all three methods were compared. The main goal is the theoretical calculation of the amount of condensate created during start-up which is influenced by its initial state from which it is started. Three default states are considered, cold, warm and hot. In the last chapter the comparison of theoretical calculation with the measured data on real turbine is done and it is supported by the evaluation of the data from the measurement of the steam turbine at steady state on maximum power and half power. From the steady state analysis, percentage of water flow to expander from the total amount of condensate formed in the turbine were obtained.