Study of hybrid air vehicles stability using computational fluid dynamics

This paper uses Computational Fluid Dynamics to predict aerodynamic damping of airships or hybrid air vehicles. This class of aircraft is characterised by large lifting bodies combining buoyancy and circulatory lift. Damping is investigated via forced oscillations of the vehicle in pitch and yaw. The employed method is verified using data for lighter than air vehicles. The use of fins and stabilisers was found to be beneficial. The rear part of the body was dominated by separated flow that containedmore frequencies than the forcing frequency imposed on the body. The final design is seen to be dynamically stable across a range of conditions for small pitch angles

La Atalanta de Doctor Zay: Testimonio del uso y de la recreación de la mitología clásica por parte de las escritoras norteamericanas del siglo XIX

Este artículo destaca el mérito de una escritora victoriana norteamericana, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844-1911), al demostrar tener suficientes conocimientos sobre mitología como para usarlos con maestría en sus escritos literarios en una época en que a las mujeres se les negaba el acceso a ciertos niveles de formación. Concretamente, analizo la nueva versión del mito de Atalanta que muestra en su novela Doctor Zay con el fin de hacer descubrir a las mujeres nuevas posibilidades para su futuro. This article highlights the merit of a Victorian American writer, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844-1911), as she had enough classical knowledge about mythology to use it skilfully in her literary writing at a time when women were not allowed access to a certain level of education. I concretely analyse the new version of the myth of Atalanta that she portrays in her novel Doctor Zay with the purpose of making women open their eyes to new possibilities for their lives

Is Inflammation a Mitochondrial Dysfunction-Dependent Event in Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex disorder that affects up to 5% of the general population worldwide. Both mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation have been implicated in the pathophysiology of FM. We have investigated the possible relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation in FM. We studied 30 women diagnosed with FM and 20 healthy women. Blood mononuclear cells (BMCs) from FM patients showed reduced level of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and mtDNA contents and high level of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and transcript levels. A significant negative correlation between CoQ10 and TNF-alpha levels (r= -0.588; p < 0.01), and a positive correlation between ROS and TNF-alpha levels (r = 0.791; p < 0.001) were observed accompanied by a significant correlation of visual analogical scale with serum TNF-alpha and transcript levels (r = 0.4507; p < 0.05 and r = 0.7089; p < 0.001, respectively). TNF-alpha release was observed in an in vitro (BMCs) and in vivo (mice) CoQ10 deficiency model. Oral CoQ10 supplementation restored biochemical parameters and induced a significant improvement in clinical symptoms ( p < 0.001). These results lead to the hypothesis that inflammation could be a mitochondrial dysfunction-dependent event implicated in the pathophysiology of FM in several patients indicating at mitochondria as a possible new therapeutic target.Unión Europea FIS PI10/00543Servicio Andaluz de Salud Junta de Andalucía SAS 111242Junta de Andalucía CTS-572

On the effect of ultrasound-assisted atmospheric freeze-drying on the antioxidant properties of eggplant

[EN] The low operating temperatures employed in atmospheric freeze-drying permits an effective drying of heat sensitive products, without any impairment of their quality attributes. When using power ultrasound, the drying rate can be increased, thus reducing the process duration. However, ultrasound can also affect the product quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of various drying process variables, namely air temperature and velocity, ultrasound power and sample size, on the antioxidant properties of eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.) samples. For this reason, drying experiments were carried out at different drying temperatures (-5, -7.5, -10 °C), power ultrasound levels (0, 25, 50 W; 21.9 kHz) and air velocities (2, 5 m s-1) using different sample sizes (8.8 mm and 17.6 mm cube side). The ascorbic acid content (Jagota and Dani method), total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteau method), and the antioxidant capacity (FRAP method) of the dried products were considered as quality indicators of the dried samples. The increase in air velocity and temperature, as well as the sample size, significantly reduced the antioxidant potential of the dried samples (p-value < 0.05). For a given sample size, the application of ultrasound, at the acoustic power levels tested, did not produce significant effects on the antioxidant indicators considered. Temperature measurements inside the drying sample showed a non-negligible temperature rise when acoustic power was applied.The authors acknowledge the financial support from Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEOII/2014/005) and INIA-ERDF (RTA2015-00060-C04-02).Colucci, D.; Fisore, D.; Rosselló, C.; Carcel Carrión, JA. (2018). On the effect of ultrasound-assisted atmospheric freeze-drying on the antioxidant properties of eggplant. Food Research International. 106:580-588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.01.022S58058810

Linear viscoelastic properties of high reclaimed asphalt content mixes with biobinders

The use of high Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) content mixtures together with binders produced from renewable resources (biobinders) is one of the current challenges in pavement engineering research. On one hand, RA has been used for decades but there are still some concerns about its performance, especially when high contents are used (>30%). On the other hand, biobinders are relatively new materials which have to be deeply characterised and studied in order to develop good-practices for their use. In this paper, linear viscoelastic properties of biobinders and bio-mixtures manufactured with high-RA content and biobinders are analysed and discussed. High-modulus mixtures with 50% RA were selected for the mix design. Binders and mixtures were tested over a wide range of asphalt service temperatures and frequencies by means of DSR and two-point bending tests respectively. Results show that biobinders have an important effect on mixtures behaviour. However, no direct links between their linear viscoelastic properties were found. Bio-asphalt mixtures still need further development for commercial exploitation; however the take-away fact of this investigation is that it is possible to manufacture asphalt-like mixtures with acceptable viscoelastic properties while being composed only of RA and non-petroleum based binders

Deception and self-awareness

This paper presents a study conducted for the Shades of Grey EPSRC research project (EP/H02302X/1), which aims to develop a suite of interventions for identifying terrorist activities. The study investigated the body movements demonstrated by participants while waiting to be interviewed, in one of two conditions: preparing to lie or preparing to tell the truth. The effect of self-awareness was also investigated, with half of the participants sitting in front of a full length mirror during the waiting period. The other half faced a blank wall. A significant interaction was found for the duration of hand/arm movements between the deception and self-awareness conditions (F=4.335, df=1;76, p<0.05). Without a mirror, participants expecting to lie spent less time moving their hands than those expecting to tell the truth; the opposite was seen in the presence of a mirror. This finding indicates a new research area worth further investigation

Evaluation of bio-materials’ rejuvenating effect on binders for high-reclaimed asphalt content mixtures

The interest in using bio-materials in pavement engineering has grown significantly over the last decades due to environmental concerns about the use of non-recoverable natural resources. In this paper, bio-materials are used together with Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) to restore some of the properties of the aged bitumen present in mixtures with high RA content. For this purpose, two bio-materials are studied and compared to conventional and polymer modified bitumens. Blends of these materials with RA bitumen were produced and studied to simulate a 50% RA mixture. The rejuvenating effect of the two bio-materials on RA has been assessed and compared with the effect of the conventional binders. Apparent Molecular Weight Distribution of the samples (obtained by the ?-method) and different rheological parameters were used for this purpose. Results revealed the power of bio-materials to rejuvenate RA bitumen, showing their capability to be used as fresh binders in high-RA content mixtures

Diet digestibility and production performance in dairy goats consuming plant oils

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of differently unsaturated vegetable oils added to dairy goat diets on apparent digestibility and performance traits. Twelve Malagueña goats were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: no oil (CONTROL), 48 g/d of high oleic sunflower oil (GAO), regular sunflower oil (RSFO) or linseed oil (LIN). The basal diet was made of alfalfa hay and a pelleted concentrate, which included the respective oil and chromium as indicator. The experimental period lasted 21 days. The digestibility of dietary components, except for fat, did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05). Oil inclusion in the diet significantly (P < 0.05) increased fat digestibility. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in dry matter intake, milk yield and milk composition between treatments. It was concluded that moderate amounts of unsaturated plant oils can be added to dairy goat diets without negative effects on diet digestibility or performance traits

Límites nutricionales para dietas de cabras lecheras en crecimiento

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue revisar el consumo de materia seca y las necesidades nutritivas de cabras lecheras de reposición estabuladas para establecer límites nutricionales aplicables a la formulación de dietas por programación lineal a mínimo coste. El diseño de dietas nutricionalmente adecuadas y económicas requiere que el nutricionista estime correctamente el consumo de materia seca y forraje y los aportes y las necesidades de nutrientes. La bibliografía revisada sugiere que el consumo total de materia seca de las cabras oscila entre los límites físico y fisiológico impuestos por la capacidad del tracto digestivo y las necesidades energéticas diarias. El efecto de llenado digestivo puede relacionarse con los carbohidratos estructurales de la dieta, mientras la saciedad metabólica se relaciona con la concentración energética de la dieta. El consumo mínimo de forraje necesario para mantener la salud ruminal es bajo, mientras que el consumo máximo de forraje está determinado probablemente por el contenido de fibra neutrodetergente de la dieta. Los aportes y las necesidades de energía y proteína calculadas según los dos sistemas de valoración más modernos son similares, por lo que es indistinto usar cualquiera de ambos para optimizar dietas. Las propuestas recientes para el cálculo de los aportes y las necesidades de calcio y fósforo ofrecen una mayor precisión

Lipid metabolism in ruminants

El objetivo de este trabajo fue revisar algunos aspectos del metabolismo lipídico y características relevantes de la grasa de la carne y la leche de los rumiantes. Los ácidos grasos disponibles para la absorción en el intestino delgado de los rumiantes proceden de los alimentos y los microorganismos ruminales, y son mayoritariamente ácidos grasos saturados y no esterificados debido a la digestión microbiana ruminal. Los ácidos grasos absorbidos que tienen menos de 12 carbonos son vertidos directamente a la vena porta y transportados al hígado unidos a la albúmina sérica; el resto son esterificados e incorporados a lipoproteínas de muy baja densidad y quilomicrones que se transportan por vía linfática hasta el torrente sanguíneo para su distribución a los tejidos. El hígado de los rumiantes tiene menor importancia en el metabolismo lipídico que el de los monogástricos, pero adquiere especial relevancia en situaciones de balance energético negativo en las que la alteración del metabolismo hepático de los lípidos puede provocar graves patologías. Los depósitos grasos distintos de la musculatura están constituidos casi exclusivamente por triglicéridos y son la principal reserva de energía del organismo. Por el contrario, la grasa intramuscular posee distintas proporciones de fosfolípidos y triglicéridos en función del grado de engrasamiento. Los fosfolípidos de las membranas celulares son el lugar preferente de deposición de los ácidos grasos poliinsaturados disponibles. La composición de la grasa láctea varía en función del origen de los ácidos grasos: ácidos grasos de cadena larga de origen alimentario o movilizados desde el tejido adiposo, o ácidos grasos de cadena corta y media sintetizados in situ a partir de acetato y betahidroxibutirato. La mayor parte de los ácidos grasos incorporados a los triglicéridos lácteos son captados de la sangre. La importante contribución de los ácidos grasos de la dieta consumida por los rumiantes a los lípidos de sus productos ofrece la posibilidad de modificar el contenido de los ácidos grasos de la carne y, sobre todo, la leche en un sentido favorable para la salud de los consumidores.In this paper, key aspects of lipid metabolism and characteristics of ruminants’ meat and milk fat were reviewed. Fatty acids available for absorption in the small intestine of ruminants are from dietary and microbial origin and, because of microbial digestion in the rumen, are mainly nonsterified saturated fatty acids. Short chain fatty acids (less than 12 carbon atoms) are absorbed into the bloodstream, bound to serum albumin and transported to the liver through the portal vein. Medium and long chain fatty acids are esterified upon their absorption and transported via lymph to the bloodstream as chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins, to be used by the different tissues. In ruminants, the liver has a minor role in lipid metabolism compared with monogastrics, but it is especially relevant in situations of intense negative energy balance when the hepatic metabolism of lipids may be altered causing severe pathologies. Fat depots other than intramuscular depots are composed mainly of triglycerides and are the major energy reserve of the body. However, the proportion of phospholipids and triglycerides in the intramuscular fat depends on the degree of fatness. The cell membrane phospholipids are the preferred site of deposition of available polyunsaturated fatty acids. Milk fat composition depends on the origin of the fatty acids: long chain fatty acids from dietary origin or mobilized from adipose tissue, or medium and short chain fatty acids synthesized in situ from acetate and betahydroxybutyrate. Most fatty acids incorporated into milk triglycerides are taken from the blood. The major contribution of dietary fatty acids to meat and, specially, milk fatty acids offers the possibility of changing the fatty acid profile of ruminant products to promote human consumer health