A review of the planform effects on the low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of triangular and modified triangular wings

Planform effects on low speed aerodynamic characteristics of triangular and modified triangular wing

Computation of spanwise distribution of circulation and lift coefficient for flapped wings of arbitrary planform

The question of the effect of distribution and magnitude of spanwise circulation and shed vorticity from an airplane wing on the distribution pattern of agricultural products distributed from an airplane was studied. The first step in an analysis of this question is the determination of the actual distribution of lift along an airplane wing, from which the pattern of shed vorticity can be determined. A procedure is developed to calculate the span loading for flapped and unflapped wings of arbitrary aspect ratio and taper ratio. The procedure was programmed on a small programmable calculator, the Hewlett Packard HP-97, and also was programmed in BASIC language. They could be used to explore the variations in span loading that can be secured by variable flap deflections or the effect of flying at varying air speeds at different airplane gross weights. Either an absolute evaluation of span loading can be secured or comparative span loading can be evaluated to determine their effect on swath width and swath distribution pattern. The programs are intended to assist the user in evaluating the effect of a given spanload distribution

Short-term therapy with rosiglitatzone, a PPAR-¿ agonist improves metabolic profile and vascular function in non-obese lean wistar rats

A number of preclinical and clinical studies have reported blood-pressure-lowering benefits of thiazolidinediones in diabetic subjects and animal models of diabetes. This study was designed to further elucidate vascular effects of rosiglitazone, on healthy nonobese, lean animals. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized and assigned to control and rosiglitazone-treated groups and were dosed daily with either vehicle or rosiglitazone (10 mg kg(−1) day(−1)) by oral gavage for 5 days. Compared with control group, rosiglitazone treatment significantly reduced plasma levels of triglycerides (>240%) and nonesterified free fatty acids (>268%) (both, P < 0.001). There were no changes in vascular contractility to KCl or noradrenaline between two groups. However, rosiglitazone therapy improved carbamylcholine-induced vasorelaxation (93 ± 3 % versus control 78 ± 2, P < 0.01) an effect which was abolished by L-NAME. There was no difference in sodium nitroprusside-induced vasorelaxation between the control and rosiglitazone-treated animals. These results indicate that short-term rosiglitazone therapy improves both metabolic profile and vascular function in lean rats. The vascular effect of rosiglitazone appears to be mediated by alteration in NO production possibly by activation of endothelial PPARγ. This increased NO production together with improved lipid profile may explain mechanism(s) of blood-pressure-lowering effects of thiazolidinediones on both human and experimental animals

Effect of diet-induced obesity on protein expression in insulin signalling pathways of skeletal muscle in male Wistar rats

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diet-induced obesity is increasing globally, and posing significant health problems for millions of people worldwide. Diet-induced obesity is a major contributor to the global pandemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The reduced ability of muscle tissue to regulate glucose homeostasis plays a major role in the development and prognosis of type 2 diabetes. In this study, an animal model of diet-induced obesity was used to elucidate changes in skeletal muscle insulin signaling in obesity-induced diabetes. METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats were randomized and assigned to either a control group or to a test group. Controls were fed a standard laboratory pellet diet (chow-fed), while the test group had free access to a highly palatable diet (diet-fed). After 8 weeks, the diet-fed animals were subdivided into three subgroups and their diets were altered as follows: diet-to-chow, diet-fed with addition of fenofibrate given by oral gavage for a further 7 weeks, or diet-fed with vehicle given by oral gavage for a further 7 weeks, respectively. RESULTS: Untreated diet-fed animals had a significantly higher body weight and metabolic profile than the control chow-fed animals. Intramuscular triacylglyceride levels in the untreated obese animals were significantly higher than those in the control chow-fed group. Expression of protein kinase C beta, phosphatidylinositol 3, Shc, insulin receptor substrate 1, ERK1/2, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase was significantly increased by dietary obesity, while that of insulin receptor beta, insulin receptor substrate 1, and protein kinase B (Akt) were not affected by obesity. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that diet-induced obesity affects insulin signaling mechanisms, leading to insulin resistance in muscle

Kinetics and isotherm studies of methyl orange adsorption by a highly recyclable immobilized polyaniline on a glass plate

AbstractImmobilized polyaniline on glass plates (PANI/glass) and its powder form were compared for the adsorption of methyl orange (MO) dye from aqueous solutions. The effects of operational parameters such as pH, sorbent dosage, initial concentration, contact time, aeration rate and the thermodynamics of the uptake of MO had been exhaustively evaluated. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for PANI/glass and PANI powder was 93 and 147mgg−1, respectively. In addition, pseudo-second order model was the best fitted kinetic model for both systems, suggesting that the rate-limiting step may be chemisorptions. The obtained negative values of free energy and enthalpy indicated the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. In contrast to PANI powder, PANI/glass yielded negative entropy. Photocatalytic regeneration of used PANI/glass was found to be highly effective where the desorbed MO was completely mineralized. This study showed that immobilized PANI offered the unique advantage of convenient use and reuse over an extended period of applications

Graduate Student Instructors Coping Strategies and Concurrent Impact on Learning, Teaching, and Research

Acculturation stress is ubiquitous among international students. There is a preponderance of the use of social support in dealing with stressors by international students. This paper investigates Ghanaian graduate student instructors’ (GGSIs) coping strategies for mitigating stress in learning, teaching, and research. Primary data collection was in-depth semi-structured interviews. Focus group discussions served as complementary data. Seven participants were purposefully selected using a criterion-based selection from a midwestern U.S. public university. Thematic analysis yielded substantial results. The results show that GGSIs use social support for learning, not teaching or research. Preferable strategies for teaching are professional work ethics and setting classroom rules. In research, GGSIs prefer faculty and peer collaborations. This paper informs graduate students, primarily African international students, about other applicable ways of dealing with acculturative stress and fostering graduate proficiency. Additionally, it offers academic advisors strategies for advising international students. The paper also offers recommendations for new and current GGSIs

The frequency of IgM-anti HAV in the sera of patients with hepatitis in Iraq

Three hundred and fifty five patients with hepatitis were investigated in this study all cases gave negative result with HBs Ag , IgM-anti HCV , IgM-anti HEV, IgM-anti HDV and anti-HIV tests . The frequency of IgM-anti HAV was 113 and the percentage was 32 % in all ages but when these patients divided into five groups dependent on ages. The highest percentage of IgM-anti HAV was (45%) in age 41 year

Auditees’ Perception on Accountability Index: A Study in a Malaysian Public University

Studies have shown that success implementation of a system could affect users’ perception towards the system and in turn influence their acceptance or reluctance towards the system. This study examines auditees’ perception toward Accountability Index, an audit rating system. This study also examines whether auditees’ demographic profile influences their perception on the audit rating system. A questionnaire survey was adopted on 116 top and middle management staff in a Malaysian public university. The results show that auditees were receptive towards the idea of the Internal Audit Department to implement Accountability Index. The results also show that three demographic profile, namely, position, service years in the current department and the university contributed towards the variation in auditees’ perception on Accountability Index. The findings in this study provide further understanding on the importance of an audit rating system for organisational success. Keywords: Accountability Index; Internal Audit Department; Auditees; Perception; MalaysiaRésumé: Des études ont montré que la mise en œuvre réussie d'un système pouvait affecter la perception des utilisateurs envers le système et influence, à son tour, leur acceptation ou réticence envers ce système. Cette étude examine la perception des auditeurs de l'indice de la responsabilisation, un système de notation de l'audit. Elle examine également si le profile démographique des auditeurs influe sur leur perception du système de notation de l'audit. Une enquête par questionnaire a été appliquée sur 116 personnel de direction de haut niveau et de niveau moyen dans une université publique malaisienne. Les résultats montrent que les auditeurs étaient réceptifs à l'idée d'un département de l'Audit Interne pour mettre en oeuvre l'indice de responsabilisation. Les résultats montrent également que trois profil démographiques, à savoir la position, les années de service l'actuel département et l'université ont contribué à la variation dans la perception des auditeurs de l'indice de la responsabilisation. Les conclusions de cette étude permettent de comprendre davantage l'importance d'un système de notation de l'audit pour la réussite organisationnelle. Mots-clés: indice de responsabilisation; département de l'audit interne; auditeurs; perception; Malaisi

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the ethanolic extract of Pluchea indica (L) less leaf

Ethanolic extract of Pluchea indica leaf (PIL) was used to investigate its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities by using carrageenan - induced oedema model and acetic acid induced writhing test. PIL exhibited significant and dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity at a dose of 300 mg/kg when administered orally. It is also demonstrated that the i.p administration of PIL at a dose of 10, 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg produced significant inhibition of abdominal constriction induced with 0.6% (v/v) acetic acid in dose dependent manner. These results indicate that PIL exhibits significant anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects

Personalized Mobile System Application: A Case Study

This paper presents an overview of the components, approaches and techniques which are used to build a mobile phone- application that uses short messaging service (SMS) text messages to improve interaction, information distribution and communication of stakeholders in a university setting. The proposed application is built upon a multiple compatible mobile phone menu-based subscription management application that is also customizable.  Since SMS has the potential to fill significant connectivity and service gaps, this application can provide support for them to become more ubiquitous. Event-based approach towards context-aware personalized notification service is adopted, i.e. user will receive relevant immediate SMS to his/her mobile phone based on his/her subscription for preferred notifications. A trigger enables event management system to send out (semi-) automated personalized notification. Notification services that understand the context within which their users operate, i.e. identity, activity and time are derived based on a set of predetermined rules. This will benefit the stakeholders in terms of getting up-to-date notifications via the delivery system which implements SysMan TellMe V8.04 as the delivery protocol and SMS server