Practical considerations in aeroelastic design

The structural design process for large transport aircraft is described. Critical loads must be determined from a large number of load cases within the flight maneuver envelope. The structural design is also constrained by considerations of producibility, reliability, maintainability, durability, and damage tolerance, as well as impact dynamics and multiple constraints due to flutter and aeroelasticity. Aircraft aeroelastic design considerations in three distinct areas of product development (preliminary design, advanced design, and detailed design) are presented and contrasted. The present state of the art is challenged to solve the practical difficulties associated with design, analysis, and redesign within cost and schedule constraints. The current practice consists of largely independent engineering disciplines operating with unorganized data interfaces. The need is then demonstrated for a well-planned computerized aeroelastic structural design optimization system operating with a common interdisciplinary data base. This system must incorporate automated interfaces between modular programs. In each phase of the design process, a common finite-element model for static and dynamic optimization is required to reduce errors due to modeling discrepancies. As the design proceeds from the simple models in preliminary design to the more complex models in advanced and detailed design, a means of retrieving design data from the previous models must be established

Absenteeism in an automobile assembly plant

This Applied Management Decision Report deals with casual absenteeism. It is based in the manufacturing environment in an automobile assembly plant located in the Midwest. The final product, organizational structure and location are all described in conjunction with the relevance to the problem

Recommendations for course-based undergraduate research experiences in mathematics

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have benefits for course instructors, undergraduate STEM students, and underrepresented students. CUREs consist of five essential components which include the use of science practices, discovery, broadly relevant or important work, collaboration, and iteration (Auchincloss et al., 2014). Over the past decade, a broad range of CUREs have been developed within and across STEM disciplines. However, resources to assist instructors to develop CUREs in mathematics are limited. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the extant literature on course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), especially in mathematics, to provide future directions for reforming mathematics courses to incorporate research experiences through CUREs, and to provide recommendations for developing CUREs in mathematics

Minor parties and independents in times of change: Scottish local elections 1974 to 2007

This article explores the electoral performance of minor party and Independent candidates in Scottish local elections from 1974 to 2007. This is a period which began with a major restructuring of local government and ended with a change in the electoral system from first-past-the-post to the single transferable vote. It encompasses a second restructuring in the 1990s, the consolidation of the Scottish National Party as an electoral force, and the creation of the Scottish Parliament. Throughout the period, while there have been ebbs and flows, Independents and minor parties have remained significant players in local electoral politics in Scotland

Knowledge of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among immigrant Asian gay men living in New Zealand

INTRODUCTION: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a new bio-medical means of reducing the risk of HIV infection. It's use by individuals at high risk of HIV acquisition is recommended. Aims: This study identifies the ways immigrant Asian gay men living in New Zealand talk about and understand issues related to PrEP. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive methodology was used. Individual interviews were conducted with 18 immigrant Asian gay men who were not users of PrEP. Participants were aged 21-36 years and one-third had arrived in New Zealand within 3 years of completing the interview. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes evident across the men's talk in relation to pre-exposure prophylaxis were identified: 'I'm not sure what PrEP is'*'PrEP is not proven'*and 'PrEP is for others, not me'. DISCUSSION: PrEP is necessary for working towards the elimination of HIV. To improve uptake among Asian gay men, improved literacy around HIV and pre-exposure prophylaxis is required. This knowledge needs to be improved at both the individual level in primary care services and collectively through health promotion initiatives. These services and health promotion initiatives need to be provided in ways that encourage engagement by Asian gay men

Exploring understandings of sexuality among "gay" migrant Filipinos living in New Zealand

Ethnicity, sexuality, and health are inextricably linked. This study reports on individual interviews carried out with 21 “gay” migrant Filipinos living in New Zealand to understand sexual identity and identify how they manage the disclosure of their identity. The participants provided both simple and complex accounts of sexuality. For many, these aligned with Western notions of how gay and bisexual are understood as categories; but for others, their understandings and use of such terms was influenced by Filipino cultural and contextual meanings. This included the use of “gay” as a catch-all category, including for those who identify as transgender. Active and careful management of their diverse identities was reported by participants. While disclosure to family was reasonably common, this was couched in terms of sexuality being tolerated rather than fully accepted. Disclosing identity was comparatively easier in New Zealand, but nonetheless there was active control over disclosure in some work and medical situations. Such findings add a degree of complexity within health promotion and public health, as identity cannot be regarded as static and common understandings do not exist. However, the strong community orientation and relative openness of “gay” Filipinos in relation to sexuality and gender afford opportunities for targeted interventions among this group

The hypodense artery sign in acute cerebral infarction

A 77-year-old man was admitted with severe stenosis of both left anterior descending and circumflex coronary arteries and mitral valve regurgitation. He underwent mitral valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). During the second postoperative day, sedation having been stopped, the patient presented a left hemiplegia and homolateral central facial paralysis

aBravo is a novel Aedes aegypti antiviral protein that interacts with, but acts independently of, the exogenous siRNA pathway effector Dicer 2

Mosquitoes, such as Aedes aegypti, can transmit arboviruses to humans. The exogenous short interfering RNA (exo-siRNA) pathway plays a major antiviral role in controlling virus infection in mosquito cells. The Dicer 2 (Dcr2) nuclease is a key effector protein in this pathway, which cleaves viral double-stranded RNA into virus-derived siRNAs that are further loaded onto an effector called Argonaute 2 (Ago2), which as part of the multiprotein RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) targets and cleaves viral RNA. In order to better understand the effector protein Dcr2, proteomics experiments were conducted to identify interacting cellular partners. We identified several known interacting partners including Ago2, as well as two novel and previously uncharacterized Ae. aegypti proteins. The role of these two proteins was further investigated, and their interactions with Dcr2 verified by co-immunoprecipitation. Interestingly, despite their ability to interact with Ago2 and Piwi4, neither of these proteins was found to affect exo-siRNA silencing in a reporter assay. However, one of these proteins, Q0IFK9, subsequently called aBravo (aedine broadly active antiviral protein), was found to mediate antiviral activity against positive strand RNA arboviruses. Intriguingly the presence of Dcr2 was not necessary for this effect, suggesting that this interacting antiviral effector may act as part of protein complexes with potentially separate antiviral activities

The Alternative for Germany’s radicalization in historical-comparative perspective

This article chronicles the AfD’s rightward repositioning and compares it with the programmatic development of three postwar German parties on the ideological wings. By highlighting factors that tilt the balance of power away from moderate reformers towards hardliners, this comparative analysis sheds light on the conditions that lead a relatively successful party on the ideological wings, such as the AfD, to radicalize its programme. Four variables stand out: whether party hardliners take the blame for the recent election loss; whether they offer a convincing programmatic and strategic alternative to the reformers; whether changes in party composition strengthen hardliners; and whether external factors enhance their weight within the party. The essay concludes that the AfD’s radicalization was unusual, but not exceptional. It is however too early to conclude that the Federal Republic’s distinctive institutions and political culture no longer impose significant costs on parties that shift their programmes away from the centre