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

Mortality Rates above Emergency Threshold in Population Affected by Conflict in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 2012-April 2013

The area of Walikale in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, is intensely affected by conflict and population displacement. Médecins-Sans-Frontières (MSF) returned to provide primary healthcare in July 2012. To better understand the impact of the ongoing conflict and displacement on the population, a retrospective mortality survey was conducted in April 2013. A two-stage randomized cluster survey using 31 clusters of 21 households was conducted. Heads of households provided information on their household make-up, ownership of non-food items (NFIs), access to healthcare and information on deaths and occurrence of self-reported disease in the household during the recall period. The recall period was of 325 days (July 2012-April 2013). In total, 173 deaths were reported during the recall period. The crude mortality rate (CMR) was of 1.4/10,000 persons/day (CI95%: 1.2-1.7) and the under-five- mortality rate (U5MR) of 1.9/10,000 persons per day (CI95%: 1.3-2.5). The most frequently reported cause of death was fever/malaria 34.1% (CI95%: 25.4-42.9). Thirteen deaths were due to intentional violence. Over 70% of all households had been displaced at some time during the recall period. Out of households with someone sick in the last two weeks, 63.8% sought health care; the main reason not to seek health care was the lack of money (n = 134, 63.8%, CI95%: 52.2-75.4). Non Food Items (NFI) ownership was low: 69.0% (CI95%: 53.1-79.7) at least one 10 liter jerry can, 30.1% (CI95%: 24.3-36.5) of households with visible soap available and 1.6 bednets per household. The results from this survey in Walikale clearly illustrate the impact that ongoing conflict and displacement are having on the population in this part of DRC. The gravity of their health status was highlighted by a CMR that was well above the emergency threshold of 1 person/10,000/day and an U5MR that approaches the 2 children/10,000/day threshold for the recall period