Magnetorheological landing gear: 2. Validation using experimental data

Aircraft landing gears are subjected to a wide range of excitation conditions with conflicting damping requirements. A novel solution to this problem is to implement semi-active damping using magnetorheological (MR) fluids. In part 1 of this contribution, a methodology was developed that enables the geometry of a flow mode MR valve to be optimized within the constraints of an existing passive landing gear. The device was designed to be optimal in terms of its impact performance, which was demonstrated using numerical simulations of the complete landing gear system. To perform the simulations, assumptions were made regarding some of the parameters used in the MR shock strut model. In particular, the MR fluid's yield stress, viscosity, and bulk modulus properties were not known accurately. Therefore, the present contribution aims to validate these parameters experimentally, via the manufacture and testing of an MR shock strut. The gas exponent, which is used to model the shock strut's nonlinear stiffness, is also investigated. In general, it is shown that MR fluid property data at high shear rates are required in order to accurately predict performance prior to device manufacture. Furthermore, the study illustrates how fluid compressibility can have a significant influence on the device time constant, and hence on potential control strategies

ANALISIS KEBERHASILAN IMPLEMANTASI KEBIJAKAN PRIORITAS DANA DESA

Dana desa adalah dana yang bersumber dari APBN yang diperuntukan bagi desa yang ditransfer APBD Kabupaten/Kota dan digunakan untuk membiayai penyelenggaraan pemerintahan, pelaksanaan pembangunan, pembinaan kemasyarakatan dan pemberdayaan masyarakat. Peraturan Menteri Keuangan menyebutkan bahwa penggunaan dana desa dilaksanakan sesuai dengan prioritas yang ditetapkan oleh Menteri Desa, Pembangunan Desa Teringgal dan Transmigrasi. Prioritas penggunaan dana desa di atur dalam Permendes PDTT Nomor 13 Tahun 2020 tentang Prioritas Penggunaan Dana Desa Tahun 2021 menyebutkan bahwa SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Dalam pengelolaan dan penerapan dana desa ditemukan permasalahan dalam penyusunan dan penetapan prioritas dana desa Pemerintah Desa Kadongdong, tidak melibatkan semua unsur masyarakat dan tidak adanya keterbukaan pemerintah desa kepada masyarakat sehingga menimbulkan ketidak pahaman masyarakat dengan bagaimana dan apa saja program prioritas dana desa tersebut. Berdasarkan fenomena tersebut peneliti tertarik untuk mengkaji lebih dalam terkait Analisis Keberhasilan Implementasi Kebijakan Prioritas Dana Desa di Desa Kadongdong Kecamatan Banjarwangi Kabupaten Garut. Dalam penelitian ini peneliti menggunakan teori Edward III yang terdapat empat variabel keberhasilan implementasi kebijakan yaitu Komunikasi, Sumberdaya, Disposisi dan Struktur Birokrasi. Dengan menggunakan metode penelitian pendekatan deskriptif kulitatif dengan sumber data primer dan sekunder. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa implementasi kebijakan dana desa di Desa Kadongdong dalam pelaksanaannya yang telah peneliti amati di lingkup Desa Kadongdong belum optimal, diihat keberhasilan implementasi kebijakan dari komunikasi bahwa pemerintah desa kadongdong tidak melibatkan seluruh tokoh masyarakat dalam menetapkan prioritas dana desa, faktor kedua sumberdaya bahwa sumber daya staf dan fasilitas yang kurang memadai, selanjutnya faktor disposisi dimana pemerintah desa dalam mengelola dana desa tidak dilakukan dengan transparan anggaran, hal ini akan memberikan indikasi memanipulasi insentif, dan dilihat dari faktor struktur birokrasi pemerintah desa sudah mempunyai SOP sebagai acuan kerja mereka seperti RKPDesa dan Permendes PDTT. Maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa keberhasilan implementasi kebijakan dana desa di Desa Kadongdong belum berjalan dengan maksimal. Pengelolaan dana desa tidak dikelola sesuai dengan mekanisme PermendesPDTT dan program dari prioritas dana desa tidak terealisasi dengan optimal

Identification of a suitable clustering method and allocation strategy for core set development in salt stress tolerant rice (Oryza sativa) germplasm

Preserving genetic diversity in repository of germplasm is essential for crop breeding programs. However, maintenance and protection of all the germplasms in gene bank is difficult due to its voluminous size. Hence the development of core set with minimum number of germplasm representing maximum genetic diversity of the population has become an alternative. From the available clustering methods and allocation strategies, identifying a suitable combination is essential for the development of species-specific core set. In the present study, data on 219 salt stress tolerant rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm accessions with 14 phenotypic traits and 2915 genome wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) is considered to identify a suitable combination of clustering method and allocation strategy for core set development. Eight different combinations consisting of two clustering methods, viz. Ward’s and UPGMA along with four different allocation strategies, viz. L, D, LD and NY allocation with three level of sampling intensities (20%, 25% and 30%) have been tried. Based on the study carried out during 2013-14 at Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, it is concluded that the Ward’s clustering method with NY allocation, irrespective of sampling intensity, is suitable for developing core set with maximum diversity

Studies to Improve Perinatal Health through Diet and Lifestyle among South Asian Women Living in Canada: A Brief History and Future Research Directions

South Asians (i.e., people who originate from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh) have higher cardiovascular disease rates than other populations, and these differences persist in their offspring. Nutrition is a critical lifestyle-related factor that influences fetal development, and infant and child health in early life. In high-income countries such as Canada, nutrition-related health risks arise primarily from overnutrition, most strikingly for obesity and associated non-communicable diseases. Evidence for developmental programming during fetal life underscores the critical influence of maternal diet on fetal growth and development, backed by several birth cohort studies including the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study, the South Asian Birth Cohort Study, and the Born in Bradford Study. Gestational diabetes mellitus is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes, future atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in the mother and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in her offspring. Non-pharmacological trials to prevent gestational diabetes are few, often not randomized, and are heterogeneous with respect to design, and outcomes have not converged upon a single optimal prevention strategy. The aim of this review is to provide an understanding of the current knowledge around perinatal nutrition and gestational diabetes among the high-risk South Asian population as well as summarize our research activities investigating the role of culturally-tailored nutrition advice to South Asian women living in high-income settings such as Canada. In this paper, we describe these qualitative and quantitative studies, both completed and underway. We conclude with a description of the design of a randomized trial of a culturally tailored personalized nutrition intervention to reduce gestational glycaemia in South Asian women living in Canada and its implications

Does the impact of a plant-based diet during pregnancy on birth weight differ by ethnicity? A dietary pattern analysis from a prospective Canadian birth cohort alliance

Objective: Birth weight is an indicator of newborn health and a strong predictor of health outcomes in later life. Signicant variation in diet during pregnancy between ethnic groups in high-income countries provides an ideal opportunity to investigate the influence of maternal diet on birth weight. Setting: Four multiethnic birth cohorts based in Canada (the NutriGen Alliance). Participants: 3997 full-term mother–infant pairs of diverse ethnic groups who had principal component analysis-derived diet pattern scores—plant-based, Western and health-conscious—and birth weight data. Results: No associations were identified between the Western and health-conscious diet patterns and birth weight; however, the plant-based dietary pattern was inversely associated with birth weight (β=−67.6 g per 1-unit increase; P<0.001), and an interaction with non-white ethnicity and birth weight was observed. Ethnically stratified analyses demonstrated that among white Europeans, maternal consumption of a plant-based diet associated with lower birth weight (β=−65.9 g per 1-unit increase; P<0.001), increased risk of small-for-gestational age (SGA; OR=1.46; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.54;P=0.005) and reduced risk of large-for-gestational age (LGA; OR=0.71; 95% CI 0.53 to 0.95;P=0.02). Among South Asians, maternal consumption of a plant-based diet associated with a higher birth weight (β=+40.5 g per 1-unit increase; P=0.01), partially explained by cooked vegetable consumption. Conclusions: Maternal consumption of a plant-based diet during pregnancy is associated with birth weight. Among white Europeans, a plant-based diet is associated with lower birth weight, reduced odds of an infant born LGA and increased odds of SGA, whereas among South Asians living in Canada, a plant-based diet is associated with increased birth weight

The burden of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries : a systematic review

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Quality of Data Entry Using Single Entry, Double Entry and Automated Forms Processing–An Example Based on a Study of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background: The clinical and scientific usage of patient-reported outcome measures is increasing in the health services. Often paper forms are used. Manual double entry of data is defined as the definitive gold standard for transferring data to an electronic format, but the process is laborious. Automated forms processing may be an alternative, but further validation is warranted. Methods: 200 patients were randomly selected from a cohort of 5777 patients who had previously answered two different questionnaires. The questionnaires were scanned using an automated forms processing technique, as well as processed by single and double manual data entry, using the EpiData Entry data entry program. The main outcome measure was the proportion of correctly entered numbers at question, form and study level. Results: Manual double-key data entry (error proportion per 1000 fields = 0.046 (95 % CI: 0.001–0.258)) performed better than single-key data entry (error proportion per 1000 fields = 0.370 (95 % CI: 0.160–0.729), (p = 0.020)). There was no statistical difference between Optical Mark Recognition (error proportion per 1000 fields = 0.046 (95 % CI: 0.001–0.258)) and double-key data entry (p = 1.000). With the Intelligent Character Recognition method, there was no statistical difference compared to single-key data entry (error proportion per 1000 fields = 6.734 (95 % CI: 0.817–24.113), (p = 0.656)), as well as double-key data entry (error proportion per 1000 fields = 3.367 (95 % CI: 0.085–18.616)), (p = 0.319))

Non-solvolytic synthesis of aqueous soluble TiO2 nanoparticles and real-time dynamic measurements of the nanoparticle formation.

Highly aqueously dispersible (soluble) TiO2 nanoparticles are usually synthesized by a solution-based sol-gel (solvolysis/condensation) process, and no direct precipitation of titania has been reported. This paper proposes a new approach to synthesize stable TiO2 nanoparticles by a non-solvolytic method - direct liquid phase precipitation at room temperature. Ligand-capped TiO2 nanoparticles are more readily solubilized compared to uncapped TiO2 nanoparticles, and these capped materials show distinct optical absorbance/emission behaviors. The influence of ligands, way of reactant feeding, and post-treatment on the shape, size, crystalline structure, and surface chemistry of the TiO2 nanoparticles has been thoroughly investigated by the combined use of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL). It is found that all above variables have significant effects on the size, shape, and dispersivity of the final TiO2 nanoparticles. For the first time, real-time UV-vis spectroscopy and PL are used to dynamically detect the formation and growth of TiO2 nanoparticles in solution. These real-time measurements show that the precipitation process begins to nucleate after an initial inhibition period of about 1 h, thereafter a particle growth occurs and reaches the maximum point after 2 h. The synthesis reaction is essentially completed after 4 h.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Preliminary analysis of immune activation in early onset type 2 diabetes

Introduction. First Nations and other Aboriginal children are disproportionately affected by cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D). In T2D, the disruption of insulin signalling can be driven by pro-inflammatory immunity. Pro-inflammatory responses can be fueled by toll-like receptors (TLR) on immune cells such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC, a white blood cell population). TLR4 can bind to lipids from bacteria and food sources activating PBMC to produce cytokines tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-&#x03B1; and interleukin (IL)-1&#x03B2;. These cytokines can interfere with insulin signalling. Here, we seek to understand how TLR4 activation may be involved in early onset T2D. We hypothesized that immune cells from youth with T2D (n=8) would be more reactive upon TLR4 stimulation relative to cells from age and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls without T2D (n=8). Methods. Serum samples were assayed for adipokines (adiponectin and leptin), as well as cytokines. Freshly isolated PBMC were examined for immune reactivity upon culture with TLR4 ligands bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 2 and 0.2 ng/ml) and the fatty acid palmitate (200 &#x00B5;M). Culture supernatants were evaluated for the amount of TNF-&#x03B1; and IL-1&#x03B2; produced by PBMC. Results. Youth with T2D displayed lower median serum adiponectin levels compared to controls (395 vs. 904 ng/ml, p&#x003C;0.05). PBMC isolated from youth with and without T2D produced similar levels of TNF-&#x03B1; and IL-1&#x03B2; after exposure to the higher LPS concentration. However, at the low LPS dose the T2D cohort exhibited enhanced IL-1&#x03B2; synthesis relative to the control cohort. Additionally, exposure to palmitate resulted in greater IL-1&#x03B2; synthesis in PBMCs isolated from youth with T2D versus controls (p&#x003C;0.05). These differences in cytokine production corresponded to greater monocyte activation in the T2D cohort. Conclusion. These preliminary results suggest that cellular immune responses are exaggerated in T2D, particularly with respect to IL-1&#x03B2; activity. These studies aim to improve the understanding of the biology behind early onset T2D and its vascular complications that burden First Nations people