Nonlinear finite element formulation for the large displacement analysis in multibody system dynamics

A total Lagrangian finite element formulation for the deformable bodies in multibody mechanical systems that undergo finite relative rotations is developed. The deformable bodies are discretized using finite element methods. The shape functions that are used to describe the displacement field are required to include the rigid body modes that describe only large translational displacements. This does not impose any limitations on the technique because most commonly used shape functions satisfy this requirement. The configuration of an element is defined using four sets of coordinate systems: Body, Element, Intermediate element, Global. The body coordinate system serves as a unique standard for the assembly of the elements forming the deformable body. The element coordinate system is rigidly attached to the element and therefore it translates and rotates with the element. The intermediate element coordinate system, whose axes are initially parallel to the element axes, has an origin which is rigidly attached to the origin of the body coordinate system and is used to conveniently describe the configuration of the element in undeformed state with respect to the body coordinate system

The effect of Outside Consultants Involvement over the Success of BPR Projects

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a radical, Information Technology based redesign of workflows and processes within and between organizations. Since the publication of the fundamental concepts of BPR (Davenport and Short, 1990 and Hammer, 1990), a steady stream of publicationshas reported on BPR implementations and the dramatic benefits it brought to the implementing organizations. The fundamental concepts of BPR have emerged from the consulting rather than the academic domain. Today, consultants are frequently involved in the implementation of BPR projects. Their considerable role is reflected in current research. Their views on BPR implementations is the basis for a research stream on preconditions for BPR success (Bashein et al., 1994). But does the use of consultants result in more successful BPR projects? By addressing this question, this paper aims at complementing the existing body of research on BPR

Revolutionary Advancements in Fast Dissolving Tablets: An In-Depth Exploration

A novel drug delivery system plays a pivotal role in enhancing patient adherence to medication regimens. Among these innovative approaches, fast dissolving tablets (FDT’s) stand out as a particularly promising option. FDT’s offer a range of benefits, including precise dosing, ease of transport, streamlined manufacturing, robust physical and chemical stability, and they serve as an excellent alternative for both paediatric and geriatric patients. The formulation of FDT’s harnesses the advantages of both liquid and conventional tablet formulations, while also surpassing the merits of traditional dosage forms. In this comprehensive review, we delve into the advantages and limitations of FDT’s, the imperative need for their formulation, key formulation factors, the role of excipients, methodology, and critical evaluation parameters

Moon-tracking orbits using motorized tethers for continuous earth–moon payload exchanges

For human colonization of the moon to become reality, an efficient and regular means of exchanging resources between the Earth and the moon must be established. One possibility is to pass and receive payloads at regular intervals between a symmetrically laden motorized momentum-exchange tether orbiting about Earth and a second orbiting about the moon. There are significant challenges associated with this method, among the greatest of which is the development of a system that incorporates the complex motion of the moon into its operational architecture in addition to conducting these exchanges on a per-lunar-orbit basis. One way of achieving this is to use a motorized tether orbiting Earth and tracking the nodes of the moon’s orbit to allow payload exchanges to be undertaken periodically with the arrival of the moon at either of these nodes. Tracking these nodes is achieved by arranging the tether to orbit Earth with a critical inclination, thus rendering its argument of perigee stationary in addition to using the precession effects resulting from an oblate Earth. Using this in conjunction with pre-emptive adjustments to its angle of right ascension, the tether will periodically realign itself with these nodes simultaneously with the arrival of the moon

Phytochemical screening and evaluation of anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activity of Elettaria cardamom (Cardamom)

The present study deals with the phytochemical screening and evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activities from the crude methanol extract of the seeds of cardamom, Elettaria cardamom. Crude methanol extract was investigated for their antibacterial activity against Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), Listeria monocytogenes,Bacillus pumilus and Escherichia coli. The extract showed maximum zone of inhibition (20.3 mm) against EPEC, however, the antibacterial potential of the extract was slightly lesser against normal E. coli (19 mm). It showed moderate anti-bacterial activity against L. monocytogenes and B. pumilus. Dose-dependent increase in antioxidant activity was also noticed in crude extract as measured by DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Thus, our study reports various phytochemicals in the seeds of cardamom with antioxidant and antibacterial potential

Antisense oligonucleotide-based therapies for the treatment of osteoarthritis: Opportunities and roadblocks

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease with no approved disease-modifying therapies. Among the challenges for developing treatment is achieving targeted drug delivery to affected joints. This has contributed to the failure of several drug candidates for the treatment of OA. Over the past 20 years, significant advances have been made in antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology for achieving targeted delivery to tissues and cells both in vitro and in vivo. Since ASOs are able to bind specific gene regions and regulate protein translation, they are useful for correcting aberrant endogenous mechanisms associated with certain diseases. ASOs can be delivered locally through intra-articular injection, and can enter cells through natural cellular uptake mechanisms. Despite this, ASOs have yet to be successfully tested in clinical trials for the treatment of OA. Recent chemical modification to ASOs have further improved cellular uptake and reduced toxicity. Among these are locked nucleic acid (LNA)-based ASOs, which have shown promising results in clinical trials for diseases such as hepatitis and dyslipidemia. Recently, LNA-based ASOs have been tested both in vitro and in vivo for their therapeutic potential in OA, and some have shown promising joint-protective effects in preclinical OA animal models. In order to accelerate the testing of ASO therapies in a clinical trial setting for OA, further investigation into delivery mechanisms is required. In this review article, we discuss opportunities for viral-, particle-, biomaterial-, and chemical modification-based therapies, which are currently in preclinical testing. We also address potential roadblocks in the clinical translation of ASO-based therapies for the treatment of OA, such as the limitations associated with OA animal models and the challenges with drug toxicity. Taken together, we review what is known and what would be useful to accelerate translation of ASO-based therapies for the treatment of OA

A bioinformatics approach to microRNA-sequencing analysis

The rapid expansion of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data availability has made exploration of appropriate bioinformatics analysis pipelines a timely issue. Since there are multiple tools and combinations thereof to analyze any dataset, there can be uncertainty in how to best perform an analysis in a robust and reproducible manner. This is especially true for newer omics applications, such as miRNomics, or microRNA-sequencing (miRNA-sequencing). As compared to transcriptomics, there have been far fewer miRNA-sequencing studies performed to date, and those that are reported seldom provide detailed description of the bioinformatics analysis, including aspects such as Unique Molecular Identifiers (UMIs). In this article, we attempt to fill the gap and help researchers understand their miRNA-sequencing data and its analysis. This article will specifically discuss a customizable miRNA bioinformatics pipeline that was developed using miRNA-sequencing datasets generated from human osteoarthritis plasma samples. We describe quality assessment of raw sequencing data files, reference-based alignment, counts generation for miRNA expression levels, and novel miRNA discovery. This report is expected to improve clarity and reproducibility of the bioinformatics portion of miRNA-sequencing analysis, applicable across any sample type, to promote sharing of detailed protocols in the NGS field

A nontraditional method for reducing thermoelastic stresses of variable thickness rotating discs

Funding Open access funding provided by The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) in cooperation with The Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB). This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Association of ACE and NOS3 Gene Polymorphisms with Blood Pressure in a Case Control Study of Coronary Artery Disease in Punjab, Pakistan

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), ACE rs4341 and NOS3 rs1799983 have been reported to be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and blood pressure (BP)in many but not all studies. We aimed to investigate the effect of these SNPs on BP and CAD in people from Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 650 subjects (430 CAD cases and 220 controls) were genotyped by TaqMan/KASPar allelic discrimination technique. Two BP measurements were reordered and their mean was calculated. The results showed that the risk allele frequencies (RAFs) of both SNPs were higher in cases than controls but the difference was not statistically significant. For rs4341, RAF in cases and controls was 0.577 vs. 0.525, p = 0.08 and for rs1799983, the RAF was 0.202 vs. 0.178, p = 0.31. The SNPs were not associated with CAD. The CAD odds ratio of rs4341 (1.22,0.97-1.53, p = 0.09) and that of rs1799983 (1.15, 0.86-1.54, p=0.33) was not statistically significant. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were significantly higher in cases than controls (p<0.05) and the SNPs showed a significant association with BP. Each risk allele of rs4341 (G) increased SBP by 10.04±0.8 mmHg and DBP by 2.5±0.6mmHg, while risk allele of rs1799983 (T), increased SBP and DBP by 16.4±0.9mmHg and 8.8±0.6mmHg respectively, all were statistically significant (p<0.05). When a combined effect of genotypes of both SNPs was examined, a significant effect on CAD outcome (p=0.01) was observed when GG of rs4341 and GT of rs1799983 co-existed. Similarly, maximum elevation in BP was observed when risk alleles of both SNPs in homozygous form (GG and TT) appeared together. In conclusion, the SNPs were not independently associated with CAD but were associated with BP in Pakistani subjects under study and may be causing CAD by modulating BP

Numerical study of the noninertial systems: applicationto train coupler systems

Car coupler forces have a significant effect on the longitudinal train dynamics and stability. Because the coupler inertia is relatively small in comparison with the car inertia; the high stiffness associated with the coupler components can lead to high frequencies that adversely impact the computational efficiency of train models. The objective of this investigation is to study the effect of the coupler inertia on the train dynamics and on the computational efficiency as measured by the simulation time. To this end, two different models are developed for the car couplers; one model, called the inertial coupler model, includes the effect of the coupler inertia, while in the other model, called the noninertial model, the effect of the coupler inertia is neglected. Both inertial and noninertial coupler models used in this investigation are assumed to have the same coupler kinematic degrees of freedom that capture geometric nonlinearities and allow for the relative translation of the draft gears and end of car cushioning (EOC) devices as well as the relative rotation of the coupler shank. In both models, the coupler kinematic equations are expressed in terms of the car body and coupler coordinates. Both the inertial and noninertial models used in this study lead to a system of differential and algebraic equations that are solved simultaneously in order to determine the coordinates of the cars and couplers. In the case of the inertial model, the coupler kinematics is described using the absolute Cartesian coordinates, and the algebraic equations describe the kinematic constraints imposed on the motion of the system. In this case of the inertial model, the constraint equations are satisfied at the position, velocity, and acceleration levels. In the case of the noninertial model, the equations of motion are developed using the relative joint coordinates, thereby eliminating systematically the algebraic equations that represent the kinematic constraints. A quasistatic force analysis is used to determine a set of coupler nonlinear force algebraic equations for a given car configuration. These nonlinear force algebraic equations are solved iteratively to determine the coupler noninertial coordinates which enter into the formulation of the equations of motion of the train cars. The results obtained in this study showed that the neglect of the coupler inertia eliminates high frequency oscillations that can negatively impact the computational efficiency. The effect of these high frequencies that are attributed to the coupler inertia on the simulation time is examined using frequency and eigenvalue analyses. While the neglect of the coupler inertia leads, as demonstrated in this investigation, to a much more efficient model, the results obtained using the inertial and noninertial coupler models show good agreement, demonstrating that the coupler inertia can be neglected without having an adverse effect on the accuracy of the solutio