96 research outputs found
Presentation of the acoustic and aerodynamic results of the Aladin 2 concept qualification testing
Wind tunnel tests were conducted of a scale model of the Aladin 2 aircraft. The propulsion system configuration is described and the air flow caused by jet ejection is analyzed. Three dimensional flow studies in the vicinity of the engine installation were made. Diagrams of the leading and trailing edge flaps are provided. Graphs are developed to show the aerodynamic performance under conditions of various airspeed and flap deflection
Indexing In Memoriam Assignment
Curatorial note from Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities: The origin of humanities computing is usually dated to 1949, when Father Roberto Busa began working with IBM computers to produce a concordance to the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Hockey). Of course, concordances and indexes long predate electronic computers and, as Geoffrey Rockwell suggests, are premised upon hermeneutical assumptions of coherence and generative rule-bound procedures (Rockwell 211). The index is thus another example of âdigitalâ or âhands-onâ technology that expands beyond the electronic. Rachel Sagner Buurmaâs assignment asks students to create an index to Tennysonâs In Memoriam or to use an existing index to create a new edition of the poem, foregrounding how informational technologies like the index create, constrain, or complicate the interpretation of literary works
The Sub-State Politics of Welfare in Italy: Assessing the Effect of Territorial Mobilization on the Development of Region-Specific Social Governance
This article demonstrates that the political mobilization of regional identities through the creation of regionalist parties has positively impacted on the development of region-specific models of welfare governance in Italy. This means that, in a decentralized country, the âcentre-peripheryâ cleavage may significantly influence the sub-state politics of welfare
âWithout a motherâ: caregivers and community membersâ views about the impacts of maternal mortality on families in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality in South Africa is high and a cause for concern especially because the bulk of deaths from maternal causes are preventable. One of the proposed reasons for persistently high maternal mortality is HIV which causes death both indirectly and directly. While there is some evidence for the impact of maternal death on children and families in South Africa, few studies have explored the impacts of maternal mortality on the well-being of the surviving infants, older children and family. This study provides qualitative insight into the consequences of maternal mortality for child and family well-being throughout the life-course.
METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in rural and peri-urban communities in Vulindlela, KwaZulu-Natal. The sample included 22 families directly affected by maternal mortality, 15 community stakeholders and 7 community focus group discussions. These provided unique and diverse perspectives about the causes, experiences and impacts of maternal mortality.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Children left behind were primarily cared for by female family members, even where a father was alive and involved. The financial burden for care and childrenâs basic needs were largely met through government grants (direct and indirectly targeted at children) and/or through an obligation for the father or his family to assist. The repercussions of losing a mother were felt more by older children for whom it was harder for caregivers to provide educational supervision and emotional or psychological support. Respondents expressed concerns about adolescentâs educational attainment, general behaviour and particularly girlâs sexual risk.
CONCLUSION: These results illuminate the high costs to surviving children and their families of failing to reduce maternal mortality in South Africa. Ensuring social protection and community support is important for remaining children and families. Additional qualitative evidence is needed to explore differential effects for children by gender and to guide future research and inform policies and programs aimed at supporting maternal orphans and other vulnerable children throughout their development.Web of Scienc
Features of home and neighbourhood and the liveability of older South Africans
While older people live in developing countries, little is known about the relative importance of features of their communities in influencing their liveability. We examinecomponents of home and neighbourhood among older South Africans. Linear regression analyses revealed that features of home (basic amenities, household composition, financial status and safety) and neighbourhood (ability to shop for groceries, participate in organizations and feel safe from crime) are significantly associated with life satisfaction. Approaches to liveability that are person-centred and also set within contexts beyond home and neighbourhood are needed to addressboundaries between home and neighbourhood; incorporate personal resources into liveability models and import broader environmental contexts such as health and social policy
C. PRESL) at the transcriptional level.
This paper investigates differences in gene expression among the two Thlaspi caerulescens ecotypes La Calamine (LC) and Lellingen (LE) that have been shown to differ in metal tolerance and metal uptake. LC originates from a metalliferous soil and tolerates higher metal concentrations than LE which originates from a non-metalliferous soil. The two ecotypes were treated with different levels of zinc in solution culture, and differences in gene expression were assessed through application of a cDNA microarray consisting of 1,700 root and 2,700 shoot cDNAs. Hybridisation of root and shoot cDNA from the two ecotypes revealed a total of 257 differentially expressed genes. The regulation of selected genes was verified by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Comparison of the expression profiles of the two ecotypes suggests that LC has a higher capacity to cope with reactive oxygen species and to avoid the formation of peroxynitrite. Furthermore, increased transcripts for the genes encoding for water channel proteins could explain the higher Zn tolerance of LC compared to LE. The higher Zn tolerance of LC was reflected by a lower expression of the genes involved in disease and defence mechanisms. The results of this study provide a valuable set of data that may help to improve our understanding of the mechanisms employed by plants to tolerate toxic concentrations of metal in the soil
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