Theoretical approach to predict transverse impact response of variable-stiffness curved composite plates

This research studies the low velocity impact behaviour of variable stiffness curved composite plates. Since variable thickness within composite structures is recognised as an important factor on the performance of the structures, significant mathematical modelling to predict the impact response of these types of structure is essential. Varying thicknesses of sections is widely found in aerospace and automotive composite sub structures. It has been observed that changing of geometry of these sections can vary the dynamic response of anisotropic composite structures under a range of monolithic and dynamic loading conditions. Here we have used first order shear deformation theory to predict the contact force history of curved composite plates and the same approach was used for variable thickness composite plates, which provides the main novelty of this research. It was shown that the model developed here is capable of successfully predicting the response of variable stiffness composite plates with a range of layups and geometry designs under impact loading conditions

Algebraic varieties with automorphism groups of maximal rank

We confirm, to some extent, the belief that a projective variety X has the largest number (relative to the dimension of X) of independent commuting automorphisms of positive entropy only when X is birational to a complex torus or a quotient of a torus. We also include an addendum to an early paper though it is not used in the present paper.Comment: Mathematische Annalen (to appear

Role of nitric oxide synthases in elastase-induced emphysema

Nitric oxide (NO) in combination with superoxide produces peroxynitrites and induces protein nitration, which participates in a number of chronic degenerative diseases. NO is produced at high levels in the human emphysematous lung, but its role in this disease is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether the NO synthases contribute to the development of elastase-induced emphysema in mice. nNOS, iNOS, and eNOS were quantified and immunolocalized in the lung after a tracheal instillation of elastase in mice. To determine whether eNOS or iNOS had a role in the development of emphysema, mice bearing a germline deletion of the eNOS and iNOS genes and mice treated with a pharmacological iNOS inhibitor were exposed to elastase. Protein nitration was determined by immunofluorescence, protein oxidation was determined by ELISA. Inflammation and MMP activity were quantified by cell counts, RT-PCR and zymography in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Cell proliferation was determined by Ki67 immunostaining. Emphysema was quantified morphometrically. iNOS and eNOS were diffusely upregulated in the lung of elastase-treated mice and a 12-fold increase in the number of 3-nitrotyrosine-expressing cells was observed. Over 80% of these cells were alveolar type 2 cells. In elastase-instilled mice, iNOS inactivation reduced protein nitration and increased protein oxidation but had no effect on inflammation, MMP activity, cell proliferation or the subsequent development of emphysema. eNOS inactivation had no effect. In conclusion, in the elastase-injured lung, iNOS mediates protein nitration in alveolar type 2 cells and alleviates oxidative injury. Neither eNOS nor iNOS are required for the development of elastase-induced emphysema

The burden of unintentional drowning: Global, regional and national estimates of mortality from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

__Background:__ Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related mortality globally. Unintentional drowning (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes W65-74 and ICD9 E910) is one of the 30 mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive causes of injury-related mortality in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. This study's objective is to describe unintentional drowning using GBD estimates from 1990 to 2017. __Methods:__ Unintentional drowning from GBD 2017 was estimated for cause-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs), age, sex, country, region, Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, and trends from 1990 to 2017. GBD 2017 used standard GBD methods for estimating mortality from drowning. __Results:__ Globally, unintentional drowning mortality decreased by 44.5% between 1990 and 2017, from 531 956 (uncertainty interval (UI): 484 107 to 572 854) to 295 210 (284 493 to 306 187) deaths. Global age-standardised mortality rates decreased 57.4%, from 9.3 (8.5 to 10.0) in 1990 to 4.0 (3.8 to 4.1) per 100 000 per annum in 2017. Unintentional drowning-associated mortality was generally higher in children, males and in low-SDI to middle-SDI countries. China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh accounted for 51.2% of all drowning deaths in 2017. Oceania was the region with the highest rate of age-standardised YLLs in 2017, with 45 434 (40 850 to 50 539) YLLs per 100 000 across both sexes. __Conclusions:__ There has been a decline in global drowning rates. This study shows that the decline was not consistent across countries. The results reinforce the need for continued and improved policy, prevention and research efforts, with a focus on low-and middle-income countries

ARIA 2016: Care pathways implementing emerging technologies for predictive medicine in rhinitis and asthma across the life cycle

The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) initiative commenced during a World Health Organization workshop in 1999. The initial goals were (1) to propose a new allergic rhinitis classification, (2) to promote the concept of multi-morbidity in asthma a

Track A Basic Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138319/1/jia218438.pd

THE RATE OF BINARY BLACK HOLE MERGERS INFERRED FROM ADVANCED LIGO OBSERVATIONS SURROUNDING GW150914

A transient gravitational-wave signal, GW150914, was identi fi ed in the twin Advanced LIGO detectors on 2015 September 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC. To asse ss the implications of this discovery, the detectors remained in operation with unchanged con fi gurations over a period of 39 days around the time of t he signal. At the detection statistic threshold corresponding to that observed for GW150914, our search of the 16 days of simultaneous two-detector observational data is estimated to have a false-alarm rate ( FAR ) of < ́ -- 4.9 10 yr 61 , yielding a p -value for GW150914 of < ́ - 210 7 . Parameter estimation follo w-up on this trigger identi fi es its source as a binary black hole ( BBH ) merger with component masses ( )( ) = - + - + mm M ,36,29 12 4 5 4 4 at redshift = - + z 0.09 0.04 0.03 ( median and 90% credible range ) . Here, we report on the constraints these observations place on the rate of BBH coalescences. Considering only GW150914, assuming that all BBHs in the universe have the same masses and spins as this event, imposing a search FAR threshold of 1 per 100 years, and assuming that the BBH merger rate is constant in the comoving frame, we infer a 90% credible range of merger rates between – -- 2 53 Gpc yr 31 ( comoving frame ) . Incorporating all search triggers that pass a much lower threshold while accounting for the uncerta inty in the astrophysical origin of each trigger, we estimate a higher rate, ranging from – -- 13 600 Gpc yr 31 depending on assumptions about the BBH mass distribution. All together, our various rate estimat es fall in the conservative range – -- 2 600 Gpc yr 31