Some energy conservative schemes for vibro-impacts of a beam on rigid obstacles

Caused by the problem of unilateral contact during vibrations of satellite solar arrays, the aim of this paper is to better understand such a phenomenon. Therefore, it is studied here a simplified model composed by a beam moving between rigid obstacles. Our purpose is to describe and compare some families of fully discretized approximations and their properties, in the case of non-penetration Signorini’s conditions. For this, starting from the works of Dumont and Paoli, we adapt to our beam model the singular dynamic method introduced by Renard. A particular emphasis is given in the use of a restitution coefficient in the impact law. Finally, various numerical results are presented and energy conservation capabilities of the schemes are investigated

State and parameter estimation approach to monitoring AGR nuclear core

This work concerns with the problem of monitoring an Advanced Gas-cooled Nuclear Reactor (AGR) core. This plant (figure 1) makes use of the heat given by the nuclear efficient reaction to produce electricity by means of steam turbines. These are driven by steam, which is heated, from the AGR gas using a heat exchanger. One of the advantages of a gas cooled reactor is the high temperature that the gas can achieve so that when it is used in conjunction with the heat exchanger and steamed turbine the thermal efficiency is very high

Participatory design, beyond the local

This workshop aims at stimulating and opening a debate around the capacity of Participatory Design (PD) and other co-design approaches to deliver outcomes and methodologies that can have an impact and value for reuse well beyond the local context in which they were originally developed. This will be achieved by stimulating the submission of position papers by researchers from the PD community and beyond.These papers will be discussed during the workshop in order to identify challenges, obstacles but also potentials for scaling up PD processes and results from the local to the global.</p

Comparison of upper body strength gains between men and women after 10 weeks of resistance training

Resistance training (RT) offers benefits to both men and women. However, the studies about the differences between men and women in response to an RT program are not conclusive and few data are available about upper body strength response. The aim of this study was to compare elbow flexor strength gains in men and women after 10 weeks of RT. Forty-four college-aged men (22.63 +/- 2.34 years) and forty-seven college-aged women (21.62 +/- 2.96 years) participated in the study. The RT program was performed two days a week for 10 weeks. Before and after the training period, peak torque (PT) of the elbow flexors was measured with an isokinetic dynamometer. PT values were higher in men in comparison to women in pre-and post-tests (p 0.05). Effect sizes were 0.57 and 0.56 for men and women, respectively. In conclusion, the present study suggests that men and women have a similar upper body strength response to RT

Effects of a ketogenic diet in overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women during reproductive age. It is characterised clinically by oligo-ovulation or anovulation, hyper-androgenism, and the presence of polycystic ovaries. It is associated with an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The onset of PCOS has been associated to several hereditary and environmental factors, but insulin resistance plays a key pathogenetic role. We sought to investigate the effects of a ketogenic diet (KD) on women of childbearing age with a diagnosis of PCOS. Methods: Fourteen overweight women with diagnosis of PCOS underwent to a ketogenic Mediterranean diet with phyoextracts (KEMEPHY) for 12 week. Changes in body weight, body mass index (BMI), fat body mass (FBM), lean body mass (LBM), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), insulin, glucose, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TGs), total and free testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH); dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAs), estradiol, progesterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and Ferriman Gallwey score were evaluated. Results: After 12 weeks, anthropometric and body composition measurements revealed a significant reduction of body weight (- 9.43 kg), BMI (- 3.35), FBM (8.29 kg) and VAT. There was a significant, slightly decrease of LBM. A significant decrease in glucose and insulin blood levels were observed, together with a significant improvement of HOMA-IR. A significant decrease of triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL were observed along with a rise in HDL levels. The LH/FSH ratio, LH total and free testosterone, and DHEAS blood levels were also significantly reduced. Estradiol, progesterone and SHBG increased. The Ferriman Gallwey Score was slightly, although not significantly, reduced. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a KD may be considered as a valuable non pharmacological treatment for PCOS. Longer treatment periods should be tested to verify the effect of a KD on the dermatological aspects of PCOS. Trial registration Clinicaltrial.gov, NCT04163120, registrered 10 November 2019, retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov