The legacy of Verena Holmes: inspiring next generation of engineers

Verena Holmes was born in 1889 in Ashford, Kent, Verena became a pioneer for women in the industry as arguably the first female in the UK to have a full-time career as a professional mechanical, design and biomedical engineer. Verena was an advocate for widening participation in engineering and dedicated to the development of female engineers, she represented a breakthrough for equal rights in the early 20th century. As a creative and talented mechanical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur with own engineering business in Gillingham, Kent. In 1932, Verena Holmes filed a patent for poppet valve for fluid pressured systems, and in 2021 has provided the inspiration to students to conceive, design, implement and operate their own poppet valve. The poppet valve challenging first year biomedical, mechanical and product design engineering students to consider engineering materials, engineering manufacturing, standard components, fixes and fittings, and tolerances considerations into their poppet valve. This paper will provide qualitative analysis of the level of practical engineering learning, and the depth of student learning. Also, the quantitative analysis of the students’ evaluation of the learning opportunity to inspire, develop and stimulate them to be the next generation of engineers

Increased levels of erythrocyte glutathione in acute myocardial infarction: An antioxidant defence

Objective: Glutathione (GSH) has a central role in the defence against oxidative damage. This study was carried out to investigate any change in erythrocyte GSH levels in a population of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and compare them with levels in normal healthy subjects.Method: GSH levels were determined in erythrocytes of one hundred and seventy six patients with AMI (age: 30-70 years; 131 males and 45 females) admitted to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi. These levels were compared with eryrocyte GSH levels obtained from 95 normal healthy subjects (controls).Results: Mean +/- SD erythrocyte GSH levels in AMI patients and controls were found to be 2.34 +/- 0.62 micromol/ml of packed cells and 2.08+/- 0.62 micromol/ml of packed cells, respectively. The two values when compared with one way ANOVA were found to be significantly different (p=0.001). Age had little effect on erythrocyte GSH levels in both AMI patients and normal healthy subjects.Conclusion: Increased production of reactive oxygen species is a feature of cardiovascular disease, such as AMI and cells can respond to mild oxidative stress by upregulating antioxidant defence in terms of increased production of GSH

Kajian Sistem Penanaman Tumpangsari Kentang (Solanum Tuberosum L.) di Lahan Dataran Tinggi Rancabali, Kabupaten Bandung

Assessment on intercropping system of potato was conducted during the dry season (May-September) in2001 in Alamendah village, Rancabali district, Bandung regency, with the altitude of 1,400 m above sea level.Randomized block design was used with three replications of five cropping system treatments, namely (1) potato; (2)potato + celery; (3) potato + welsh onion; (4) welsh onion; and (5) celery. The tested varieties were Granola forpotato, Papak Kuningan for welsh onion, and Bamby for celery. The plant spacing used for the two potato systemswere as follows: 70 cm x 30 cm monoculture, 70 cm x 50 cm for intercropping. The plant spacing of celery and welshonion both planted in intercropping and monoculture methods were each of 20 cm x 20 cm. The areas of all treatmentswere each of 60 m2 . Results of assessment showed that: (1) average plant heights of potato were not significantlydifferent between those intercropping systems of potato-celery and potato-welsh onion; (2) average number of shootsper plant and visually observed plant vigor of welsh onion and celery were greater for monoculture system than that ofintercropping; (3) yields of both potato intercropped with celery and welsh onion were lower than those ofmonoculture, but when yield of the intercropping was made equivalent to potato, the land productivity would begreater if intercropped with potato-celery or potato-welsh onion with highest land equivalent ratio (NKL) of more thanone and the highest land equivalent ratio obtained by potato + celery intercropping was 1.19; (4) intercropping systemof potato + celery was able to lessen attack intensity of thrips (44%) and Myzus persicae (55,6%); and (5)intercropping potato-celery was the most profitable with marginal return level of 81,45 percent.Key words: solanum tuberosum L., intercropping, highland, income, Bandung Pengkajian sistem penanaman tumpangsari kentang pada lahan dataran tinggi telah dilaksanakan di DusunCibodas, Desa Alamendah, Kecamatan Rancabali, Bandung pada musim kemarau (MK) 2001, mulai bulan Mei-September 2001. Lokasi penelitian berada pada ketinggian 1.400 m di atas permukaan laut. Penelitian menggunakanRancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) dengan lima perlakuan sistem penanaman dan tiga ulangan. Kelima perlakuantersebut terdiri dari: (1) kentang monokoltur, (2) tumpangsari kentang + seledri, (3) kentang + bawang daun, (4)bawang daun monokultur, dan (5) seledri monokultur. Varietas kentang yang digunakan adalah Granola, bawang daunvarietas Papak Kuningan, sedangkan seledri varietas Bemby. Jarak tanam kentang monokultur 70 x 30 cm, kentangtumpangsari 70 x 50 cm, sedangkan seledri dan bawang dan baik yang ditanam tumpangsari maupun monokultur 20 x20 cm. Luas plot masing-masing perlakuan 60 m2 . Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Tinggi tanaman kentangyang ditanam secara tumpangsari dengan bawang daun lebih tingi dari pada yang ditumpangsarikan dengan seledrinamun hampir sama dengan yang ditanam monokultur, (2) Jumlah tunas tanaman bawang daun maupun seledri lebihbanyak pada sistem monokultur dibandingkan dengan sistem tumpangsari, (3) Hasil kentang sistem penanamantumpangsari baik dengan seledri maupun bawang daun lebih rendah dari pada secara monokultur, namun jika hasiltanaman yang ditumpangsarikan disetarakan dengan kentang, maka produktivitas lahan lebih tinggi diperoleh dengansistem penanaman tumpangsari kentang seledri atau bawang daun di mana nilai kesetaraan lahan (NKL) > 1. NKLtertinggi diperoleh pada tumpangsari kentang + seledri, yaitu 1,19, (4) Tumpangsari kentang + seledri dapatmenurunkan serangan hama daun Trips sebesar 44 persen dan hama kutu daun Myzus persicae sebesar 55,6 persenpada tanaman kentang, dan (5) Sistem penananam tumpangsari kentang + seledri secara finansial palingmenguntungkan, dengan tingkat pengembalian marginal 81,45 persen

Kajian Rakitan Teknologi Budidaya Bawang Daun (Allium Fistulosum L) pada Lahan Dataran Tinggi di Bandung, Jawa Barat

Welsh onion is prosperous to grow intensively to its increasing demand for either domestic or exportmarkets. Productivity at farm level, however, is still low due to unavailable appropriate cultural practice. Thisstudy aimed to know the technical and finacila performances of application of improved cultural practice ofwelsh onion carried in Alamendah village, Rancabali subdistrict, Bandung district with elevation of 1,400 mabove sea level on 2001 dry season (April-June 2001). The method used was “On-Farm Client OrientedAdaptive Research” (OFCOAR). Experimental plots were divide into two treatments, i.e., improved culturalpractice of welsh onion (T1) and local cultural practice (T2) with replications of 8 farmers. The results showedthat improved cultural practice significantly affected crops' height, total shoots, and yields. The yield increasedby 6.6 tons/ha or 78.6 percents, and net profits increased by Rp 3,865,525 or more than 129 percents withparticipating farmers' B/C ratio of 1.34 and that of non participating farmers of 0.80. The value of IBCR of 2.73indicated that addition of one unit of input could increase wells onion farm business by 2.73 times.Key words : cultural practice, welsh onion, highland farmingBawang daun memiliki prospek yang cukup baik seiring dengan peningkatan kebutuhan permintaankonsumen domestik maupun untuk tujuan ekspor. Namun demikian, pada saat ini produktivitas rata-rata ditingkat petani masih relatif rendah akibat belum tersedianya rakitan budidaya yang optimal. Pengkajian inibertujuan mengetahui keragaan teknis dan finansial penerapan perbaikan rakitan teknologi budidaya bawangdaun yang dilaksanakan di desa Alamendah, Kecamatan Rancabali, Kabupaten Bandung, dengan tinggi tempat1.400 m dari permukaan laut (dpl) pada MK 2001 (April-Juni 2001). Pendekatan dilakukan berdasarkan “On-Farm Client Oriented Adaptive Research” (OFCOAR). Rancangan percobaan petak dibagi menjadi duaperlakuan, yaitu (T1) perbaikan rakitan teknologi budidaya bawang daun dan (T2) teknologi petani setempatyang diulang pada 8 orang petani. Hasil pengkajian menunjukkan bahwa penerapan perbaikan teknologibudidaya memperlihatkan perbedaan yang sangat nyata pada tinggi tanaman, jumlah tunas, dan hasil bawangdaun. Hasil panen meningkat 6,6 ton/ha atau 78,6 persen dan pendapatan bersih meningkat sebesar Rp.3.865.525,00 atau lebih dari 129 persen dengan BC ratio 1,34 pada petani kooperator dan 0,80 pada petani nonkooperator.Nilai IBCR 2,73 berarti bahwa penambahan satu satuan input dapat meningkatkan pendapatanusahatani bawang daun sebesar 2,73 kali

Outer rotor wound field flux switching machine for In-wheel direct drive application

Nowadays the flux switching machines offer pivotal role in high speed applications. The flux sources (field excitation coil and armature winding or permanent magnet) are confined to the stator leaving rotor completely passive, and thus making the flux switching machine (FSM) more suitable for industrial applications. This paper emphasizes salient rotor pole and non-overlapping windings embedded in electrical machine design possess some pertinent features such as reduced copper losses, low-cost, and usage in high speed applications. The proposed design is analyzed for coil test analysis and flux linkage and torque. On the basis of the analysis performed, it is clear that 12-slot/13-pole has low cogging torque, high flux linkage, and maximum torque, compared with other topologies of outer rotor field excitation FSM. A deterministic optimization technique is adopted to enhance the performance of 12-slot/13-pole design. Further, finite element analysis (FEA) results are verified through Global Reluctance Network (GRN) methodology, which show close resemblance with error less than 1.2%. Hence, it validates the proposed design for outer rotor field excitation FSM direct drive application. The proposed design for hybrid electric vehicle torque characteristic is compared with existing interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) and 6-slot/7-pole wound field flux switching machine (WFFSM)

Dietary Restriction Ameliorates Age-Related Increase in DNA Damage, Senescence and Inflammation in Mouse Adipose Tissuey.

Ageing is associated with redistribution of fat around the body and saturation of visceral adipose depots. Likewise, the presence of excess fat in obesity or during ageing places extra stress on visceral depots, resulting in chronic inflammation and increased senescence. This process can contribute to the establishment of the metabolic syndrome and accelerated ageing. Dietary restriction (DR) is known to alleviate physiological signs of inflammation, ageing and senescence in various tissues including adipose tissue. OBJECTIVES:Our pilot study aimed to analyse senescence and inflammation parameters in mouse visceral fat tissue during ageing and by short term, late-onset dietary restriction as a nutritional intervention. Design, measurements: In this study we used visceral adipose tissue from mice between 5 and 30 months of age and analysed markers of senescence (adipocyte size, γH2A.X, p16, p21) and inflammation (e.g. IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β, macrophage infiltration) using immuno-staining, as well as qPCR for gene expression analysis. Fat tissues from 3 mice per group were analysed. RESULTS:We found that the amount of γH2A.X foci as well as the expression of senescence and inflammation markers increased during ageing but decreased with short term DR. In contrast, the increase in amounts of single or aggregated macrophages in fat depots occurred only at higher ages. Surprisingly, we also found that adipocyte size as well as some senescence parameters decreased at very high age (30 months). CONCLUSIONS:Our results demonstrate increased senescence and inflammation during ageing in mouse visceral fat while DR was able to ameliorate several of these parameters as well as increased adipocyte size at 17.5 months of age. This highlights the health benefits of a decreased nutritional intake over a relatively short period of time at middle age

Improving water productivity, reducing poverty and enhancing equity in mixed crop-livestock systems in the Indo-Gangetic Basin: CPWF project report 68

Farming systems / Mixed farming / Water productivity / Feed production / Livestock / Energy consumption / Gender / Poverty / River basins / Case studies / India / Indo-Gangetic Basin / West Bengal / Haryana / Uttar Pradesh

Experiences of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study from Pakistan

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the scaling back or postponement of non-emergency hospital services, including care of cancer patients. The present qualitative study explored the experiences of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. Patients who attended the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Khyber College of Dentistry in July 2020 were selected using a maximum variation purposive sampling method. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted in Pashto, the local language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Thematic content analysis yielded eight major themes: pain and generalised physical weakness, shock at diagnosis, psychological distress of the COVID-19 pandemic, faith and religion, double hit loss of employment, social isolation, social support from caregivers, and lack of support from health care professionals. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has a clear impact on the life experiences of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients. Distress due to delay in accessing health care and lack of support from health care providers are a matter of great concern. Appropriate interventions should be introduced to ensure psychological and social support strategies are in place for patients during interruptions of health care services