Trends in the Health of Older Californians: Data From the 2001, 2003 and 2005 California Health Interview Surveys

Analyzes trends in the health status and use of preventive services among Californians age 65 and over by race/ethnicity, insurance type, and region. Reports rises in doctor visits and in cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and other illnesses

The Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Calcium Antagonist Drugs in Cardiovascular Disease - Influence of Age, Disease State and Renal Function

This thesis has investigated several aspects of the clinical pharmacology of calcium antagonist drugs

Design and Performance Investigation of a Hydraulic Mini Turbine Based on Renewable Energy Production System

في الوقت الحاضر اهتمام كبيرة لانظمة إنتاج الطاقة المتجددة منذ السنوات القليلة الماضية. شهدت مصادر الطاقة المتجددة مثل الطاقة المائية والطاقة الشمسية وطاقة الرياح نمواً سريعاً، لا سيما الطاقة الكهرومائية بسبب تزايد ندرة الوقود الأحفوري والقضايا البيئية. توربين كابلان هو أحد انواع انتاج الطاقة الكهرومائية ومن المصادر الرئيسية للطاقة المتجددة. في هذه الدراسة، يهدف هذا العمل إلى تصميم وفحص أداء عجلة توربين كابلان لتحديد ناتج الطاقة وكفاءتها استنادًا إلى الانواع المختلفة لعجلة التوربينات. الخصائص الرئيسية الأساسية للتصاميم المقترحة لتوربين كابلان الصغير اجريت وذلك لزيادة استخدام الطاقة المتجددة في المناطق الريفية وتقليل الاعتماد على الوقود الأحفوري. تم استخدام ديناميك الموائع الحسابية (CFD) لمحاكاة التصاميم المقترحة للتعرف على مزيد من التحليل وتحسين كلاً من القدرة الخارجة والكفاءة باستخدام ANSYS CFX17.1. وقد تم التنبؤ بأداء توربين كابلان الصغير مثل القدرة الخارجة والكفاءة. علاوة على ذلك، أظهرت النتائج ان عدد الريش يؤثر بشكل كبير على اداء التوربينات وكفاءتها. بشكل عام قدمت تحسينات للتصاميم المقترحة وذلك لفهم مجال الجريان داخل عجلة توربين كابلان.Nowadays great interest of renewable energy production systems since last few years. The renewable energy sources such as a hydro, solar and wind have been rapidly growing, especially the hydropower energy due to the increasing of predicted scarcity of fossil fuels and the environmental issues. Kaplan turbine is a reaction type of hydropower which is one of the primary sources of renewable energy. In this study, the aim of this work is to design and performance investigation of a Kaplan turbine runner for determining the power output and efficiency based on different configurations of turbine wheel. The main characteristics of a micro Kaplan turbine primary proposed design configurations was performed to increase the use of renewable power in rural areas and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. The computational fluids dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate the proposed design for further analysed and improve both the power output and efficiency using ANSYS CFX17.1.The performance  of a micro Kaplan turbine has been predicted such as power output and efficiency. Furthermore, the effect of blades number showed a significant influence on the turbine’s power output and efficiency. Generally, improvement of proposed design configurations are presented for understanding the flow field in a Kaplan turbine runner

Numerical Prediction of a Radial Turbine Performance designed for Automotive Engines Turbocharger

في الوقت الحاضر تقنية الشاحن التوربيني يلعب دوراً أساسيا في تحسين أداء محركات السيارات، وتخفيض استهلاك الوقود وانبعاثات العادم، في  محركات الكازولين والديزل. أداء التوربين الشعاعي لجهاز الشاحن التوربيني يتأثر بشدة بديناميكية الجريان في المكرة القطرية.  علاوة على ذلك، تعديل وتحسين مكرة التوربين القطري مهمة صعبة لمهندسين المكائن التوربينية. ولهذا الهدف من هذه الدراسة لزيادة تحليل ديناميكية الجريان الحسابية على اداء طور التوربين القطري.  خصائص التصميم لطور التوربين القطري، استخدمت لمحاكاة الجريان باستخدام مجموعات مستقلة من ANSYS CFX. الدراسة المقارنة لمحاكاة التدفق الثلاثي الأبعاد سوف تعطي نتائج أكثر واقعية لسلوك الجريان داخل طور التوربين ومحاكاة CFD يمكن أن تعطي نتائج أكثر تفصيلاً وتكشف عن سلوك الجريان غير متوقعة مثل انفصال الجريان والدوامات. أظهرت النتائج أن ديناميكية جريان المائع داخل طور التوربين بينت بشكل ملحوظ خصائص الاداء. ومن الواضح أن نسبة الانضغاط ومعدل حجم التدفق والكفاءة تم تنبؤها عددياً. بشكل عام النتائج العددية التي تم الحصول عليها من محاكاة ديناميكية الجريان الحسابية يمكن ان تقدم درجة عالية من الدقة لتخمين اداء التوربين القطري للشاحن التوربيني.These days the turbocharging system is assuming an essential part in enhancing car engines performance and diminishing fuel utilization and the fumes emanations, in spark-ignition and compression ignition engines. The performance of a radial turbine for the turbocharger device is heavily affected by the flow dynamics in a radial impeller. Furthermore, modification and improvement of a radial turbine impeller is a challenging task for turbomachinery engineers. Hence, this study aimed to further computational fluid dynamic analyses of a radial turbine stage performance .The design characteristics of a radial turbine stage,  was used to simulate the flow by using independent packages of ANSYS CFX. The comparative study of a three dimensional flow simulation will give a more reasonable results of the turbine stage flow behavior and computational fluid dynamic simulation can give a more detailed result and reveal unexpected flow behavior like separation and vortexes.The results showed that the fluid flow dynamics within a turbine stage has indicated a noticeable performance characteristics. Obviously, it was observed that the pressure ratio and volume flow rate and efficiency were predicted numerically. Overall  numerical results obtained from computational fluid dynamic simulations could produce a highly reliable for estimation on the performance a radial turbine of turbocharger

Development of a Fully Integrated Acid Fracture Model

Acid fracturing in heterogeneous carbonate formations is extremely challenging to model. To obtain an acceptable acid penetration distance and fracture surface etched-width profile, a reliable fracture propagation model must be incorporated. Fracture fluid and formation temperatures have an impact on the acid concentration profile, particularly when using weak acids or injecting into dolomite formations. The model provided in this study considers these factors as fractures propagate, in order to obtain the fracture conductivity distribution and evaluate the improvement in well productivity. The pseudo three-dimensional fracture model developed here is able to provide the domains for the acid dissolution at each time step. A transient acid convection and diffusion equation is solved and the fracture etched-width profile is calculated. An iterative procedure is implemented in a temperature-dependent kinetic model, which stops when both the temperature and acid solutions converge. The model includes an injection of multiple fluid systems that can be either reactive (e.g., straight, emulsified, and gelled acid) or non-reactive (e.g., pad fluid and flush). The model incorporates multiple layer formations with different rock and kinetic properties. Leakoff is calculated for each layer and the wormhole effect is included if reaction takes place. When injection stops, the acid concentration and etching are solved as the fracture closes. As the final etching profile is generated, conductivity is calculated using a correlation that considered formation heterogeneity. Finally, the well productivity is numerically calculated by simulating the reservoir fluid flow and considering the obtained fracture with variable conductivity. Coupling the fracture geometry and acid models has a significant impact on the final solution. Simulations of acid injection on a non-coupled, constant fracture geometry always overestimate the acid penetration distance and provide inaccurate etched-width profiles. The temperature-dependent kinetic model has a noticeable effect on the etched-width distribution and acid penetration distance for dolomite formations, both are directly related to fracture performance. The model illustrated here is computationally efficient, which allows for optimizing the design parameters to create a fracture with maximum productivity for a given acid treatment size. More importantly, the optimum acid treatment size for a certain simulated reservoir volume can be determined

The Effects of Methionine on Paracetamol Induce Live Injury –Hepatomegaly- (Animal Study)

This study which was done for a total (45) mice, over a time of 30 days, reflects that paracetamol overdoses causing hepatic enlargement with high significant results (P<0.0001), although combined together with Methionine and by the same intra-gastric route of administration, with no any hepatoprotective effectiveness of Methionine, that there is no significant results (P=0.1566).Also this study reflects; that there were no any effect of Methionine on the ratio of the liver wt. / body wt. of the mice, in which the (P=0.1668 "no significant results), against paracetamol over-doses induce hepatomegaly, while paracetamol was highly significant (P=0.0001) on this ratio, when compared with control group. Key words: Paracetamol, Methionine, Over-dose, Hepatomegaly (enlargement of the liver)

Aspirin Prophylaxis for the Prevention of Thrombosis: Expectations and Limitations

Platelets play a very important role in the pathogenesis of acute vascular events leading to thrombosis of the coronary and cerebral arteries. Blockage of these arteries leading to regional ischemia of heart and brain tissues precipitate heart attacks and stroke. Acetyl salicylic acid (Aspirin) has been the drug of choice for over half a century for the primary and secondary prophylaxis of thrombotic events. In spite of its extensive use as an antiplatelet drug for the prevention of vascular thrombosis, there is considerable concern about the degree of protection it offers, to patients under aspirin therapy. In this paper, we explain the phenomenon of aspirin resistance, discuss the limitations of aspirin therapy, and suggest methods to monitor “at-risk” individuals. Ability to monitor and determine at risk patients will provide opportunities for the clinicians to customize antiplatelet therapies

EVALUATION OF THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF NIGELLA SATIVA (BLACK CUMIN) OIL AGAINST VANCOMYCIN-INDUCED NEPHROTOXICITY IN RATS

Objective: The study was designed to investigate a possible protective effect of Nigella sativa (NS) against vancomycin (VAN)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Methods: Twenty-eight adult male Albino rats were randomly divided into four groups; seven rats in each. Group I (control): The animals were treated with normal saline (2 ml/kg/day) given orally and intraperitoneally (IP); Group II: VAN was given at a dose of 400 mg/kg/day for 7 days IP and normal saline orally; Group III: NS oil was given at a dose of 2 ml/kg/day for seven days orally and normal saline IP; and Group IV: VAN 400 mg/kg/day IP in combination with NS oil 2 ml/kg/day orally for 7 days. Twenty-four hours after the last dose, the animals were sacrificed, and serum was collected to estimate urea and creatinine. Then, both kidneys were excised, one for homogenate preparation to estimate renal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and the other for histopathological examination. Results: NS significantly decreased serum urea and creatinine compared to VAN treated group, p<0.001. NS significantly increased renal tissue GSH compared to VAN treated group p<0.001. NS lowered MDA and NGAL levels in the homogenate of renal tissues compared to their elevated levels in rats treated with VAN, but this did not achieve statistical significance. NS also ameliorated renal histopathological changes induced by VAN. Conclusion: NS has a protective effect against VAN-induced nephrotoxicity

Thermal response of skin diseased tissue treated by plasmonic nanoantenna

The thermal distribution in the diseased tissue treated by different methods faces the problem of an uncontrollable defused heat. In the present article, we use a plasmonic bowtie nanoantenna working in the near infrared region to enhance the temperature confinement in the tissue. The Computer Simulation Technology Studio Suite package version 2019 was used to execute the design of both plasmonic nanoantenna and the tissue. Gold nanostructure and silicon carbide dioxide are the components the plasmonic nanoantenna in the bowtie shape. The results showed that the distance between the tumor tissue and the antenna is important to determine the intensity field where the maximum field is 5.9*107 V/m at a distance of 100 nm. The maximum specific absorption rate is 1.92*1011 W/kg at a similar distance which gives a higher temperature in the tissue of 580 Co. It is concluded that from the obtained results that the near infrared (1064 nm) resonance wavelength is recommended in the treatment of cancer cell by plasmonic bowtie nanoantenna because higher intensity field is generated. The closer distance to the nanoantenna gives higher temperature in the tissue while the temperature gradually decreases in the tissue till 400 nm where no valuable temperature was detected

Online 3D path planning for Tri-copter drone using GWO-IBA algorithm

Robots at present are involved in many parts of life, especially mobile robots, which are two parts, ground robots and flying robots, and the best example of a flying robot is the drone. Path planning is a fundamental part of UAVs because the drone follows the path that leads it to goal with obstacle avoidance. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid algorithm (grey wolf optimization - intelligent bug algorithm GWO-IBA) to determine the best, shortest and without obstacles path. The hybrid algorithm was implemented and tested in the MATLAB program on the Tri-copter model, and it gave different paths in different environments. The paths obtained were characterized by being free of obstacles and the shortest paths available to reach the target