Two-dimensional wind-tunnel tests of a NASA supercritical airfoil with various high-lift systems. Volume 1: Data analysis

High-lift systems for a NASA, 9.3%, method for calculating the viscous flow about two-dimensional multicomponent airfoils was evaluated by comparing its predictions with test data. High-lift systems derived from supercritical airfoils were compared in terms of performance to high-lift systems derived from conventional airfoils. The high-lift systems for the supercritical airfoil were designed to achieve maximum lift and consisted of: a single-slotted flap; a double-slotted flap and a leading-edge slat; and a triple-slotted flap and a leading-edge slat. Agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental results are also discussed

Oxetanes as versatile building blocks in the total synthesis of natural products: An overview

Oxetane ring plays an important role as main core in naturally occurring compounds and has many applications in pharmaceutical industries and synthetic organic chemistry. In this review, we report a brief survey of using the oxetane ring as versatile precursors in the total synthesis of natural products. Many approaches such as cyclization, addition, oxidation, reduction, elimination, protection as well as deprotection reactions utilized to synthesize of most important oxetane-containing natural products involving taxol, (±)-merrilactone A, (±)-oxetin, L-oxetanocin, (+)-(Z)-laureatin and L-oxetanocin are also covered. We describe in this review the most common total synthesis approaches have been yet applied to synthesis of most important oxetane-containing natural products. The review is also included isolation, structure Identification of these oxetane-containing natural products. The biological activity of oxetane-containing natural products due to the oxetane ring is also defined

Resistance to Change in Primary Care: An Exploration of the Role of Professional Identity

This thesis contributes to the academic knowledge in the field of professional identity and organisational change. This thesis also has a practical implication as the findings helped to shape an organisational change within the co-funders organisation. The research was guided by the wish to explore the extent to which professional identity affects the willingness of those within Primary healthcare Units to accept fundamental changes in their working practices. Specifically, the aim was to establish the relationship of professional identity to processes of change. As the owners of small businesses who contract their services to the Health Board, the opinions of General Practitioners (GPs) were deemed to be of particular interest. The study was undertaken using a mixed method design, based upon a Constructivist grounded theory methodology. This was chosen as the ideal vehicle to examine the complex nature of identity within healthcare professionals and how they viewed organisational changes. Research started with unstructured interviews (n-14) and the analysis of the data obtained was fed into a questionnaire (n-97). The questionnaire offered validation of the initial findings. The findings of the research showed that professional identity has a bearing on the willingness of professionals to accept changes to their working environment. The resistance demonstrated by Healthcare staff, and specifically, GPs, to organisational change could be linked to feeling a perceived threat to their professional identity. Therefore, to undertake a successful organisational change, change managers must recognise that identity is vitally important and can affect the success or failure of an organisational change. Consideration of how any change may be perceived by professionals, within an identity context, must be built into the organisational change programme and revisited regularly during the change programme

Economic Evaluation of Investments in Micro Irrigation Structures in Kandi Area of Punjab

Three types of micro irrigation structures, namely small dams (SD), lift irrigation structures (LIS) and Makowal type structures (MTS) were constructed by the Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Govt. of Punjab, Hoshiarpur division in the Kandi area of Punjab depending upon the availability of water at site, during the period 1990-91 to 1996-97. The impact evaluation has shown that the cultivated area has increased by 9.5 per cent, 3.2 per cent and 9.8 per cent and irrigated area by 600 per cent, 1038 per cent, and 253 per cent for SD (from 1991-92 to 2003-04), LIS (from 1993-94 to 2003-04) and MTS (from 1994-95 to 2003- 04), respectively in the selected villages of these structures. The income of irrigated hectare has been found higher at Rs 14478 than un-irrigated hectare. Discounted cash flow technique has revealed that the financial internal rate of returns are as high as 20.56 per cent, 38.54 per cent and 27.95 per cent for SD, LIS and MTS, respectively, which are highly satisfactory and encourage more public investments on such type of irrigation structures to enhance the income of Kandi farmers.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Catching Bacteria with Sugar

In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Disney and Seeberger exploit bacterial targeting of host cell surface sugars during pathogenesis to create a simple diagnostic carbohydrate microarray for the detection of bacteria in complex biological mixtures [1]

Technical Efficiency in Crop Production: A Region-wise Analysis

The technical efficiency in crop production has been reported in different regions as well as in the state of Punjab to show how different regions have adopted the latest technology. Technical efficiency of individual farms has been estimated through stochastic frontier production function analysis. The production function estimates have pointed towards the presence of disguised unemployment in the sub-mountainous region of the Punjab state. The technical efficiency has shown a wide variation across regions. The average technical efficiency has been found maximum in the central region (90 per cent), followed by south-western and sub-mountainous regions. The main drivers of inefficiency have been identified as experience in agriculture and age of a farmer. The policy intervention to improve technical efficiency being not the same for all the regions, the study has observed that the state would benefit more if policy interventions are developed at the local level.Agricultural and Food Policy,

The application of three-dimensional mass-spring structures in the real-time simulation of sheet materials for computer generated imagery

Despite the resources devoted to computer graphics technology over the last 40 years, there is still a need to increase the realism with which flexible materials are simulated. However, to date reported methods are restricted in their application by their use of two-dimensional structures and implicit integration methods that lend themselves to modelling cloth-like sheets but not stiffer, thicker materials in which bending moments play a significant role. This thesis presents a real-time, computationally efficient environment for simulations of sheet materials. The approach described differs from other techniques principally through its novel use of multilayer sheet structures. In addition to more accurately modelling bending moment effects, it also allows the effects of increased temperature within the environment to be simulated. Limitations of this approach include the increased difficulties of calibrating a realistic and stable simulation compared to implicit based methods. A series of experiments are conducted to establish the effectiveness of the technique, evaluating the suitability of different integration methods, sheet structures, and simulation parameters, before conducting a Human Computer Interaction (HCI) based evaluation to establish the effectiveness with which the technique can produce credible simulations. These results are also compared against a system that utilises an established method for sheet simulation and a hybrid solution that combines the use of 3D (i.e. multilayer) lattice structures with the recognised sheet simulation approach. The results suggest that the use of a three-dimensional structure does provide a level of enhanced realism when simulating stiff laminar materials although the best overall results were achieved through the use of the hybrid model

Assessing the Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS on Nigerian Households: A Propensity Score Matching Approach

We assess the impact of HIV/AIDS on individuals’ health care utilization and spending in the Oyo and Plateau states of Nigeria and income foregone from work time lost. Data was from a 2004 survey of nearly 1,500 households, including 482 individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Estimating the effect of HIV is complicated by the fact that our sample of HIV positive individuals is non-random; there are selection effects, both in acquiring HIV, and in being in our sample our HIV positive people, which was based on contacts through non-governmental organizations. To overcome this selection effect, we compare HIV positive people with a control group with similar observed characteristics, using propensity score matching. The matched control group has very different health and economic outcomes than a random sample of the population indicating that our HIV sample would not have had "average" outcomes even if they had not acquired HIV. HIV is associated with significantly increased morbidity, health care utilization, public health facility use, lost work time and increased time devoted to care-giving relative to outcomes in the control group. Direct health care costs and indirect income loss per HIV positive individual were 16,569 Naira, about 32% of annual income per capita in affected households. About 40% of these costs are income losses associated with sickness and care-giving. 15% of the cost of HIV is accounted for by public subsidies on health. The largest single economic cost, representing 45% of the total economic burden of HIV, are out of pocket expenses, mainly for health care.HIV, Nigeria, Economic Impacts, Households, Direct Costs, Propensity Score

Technical Efficiency of Wheat Production in Punjab: A Regional Analysis

The study has analysed the technical efficiency in wheat production across different regions of the Punjab state. It is based on the cross sectional data collected from a random sample of 564 farm households comprising 58, 318, and 188 households from semi-hilly, central and south-western regions for the year 2005-06. The mean technical efficiency of wheat production has been found as 87 per cent, 94 per cent, 86 per cent and 87 per cent in semi-hilly, central, south-western and Punjab state as a whole, respectively. The results signify that farmers of the central region do not have much scope to increase productivity of wheat through technical efficiency improvement under the existing conditions of input-use and technology. In the semi-hilly and south-western regions, the yield of wheat can be improved to the extent of 13 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively through adoption of better practices of technology. Across different regions, wheat area has contributed positively and significantly, the coefficient being highest and only significant variable for the central region. The coefficient of expenditure on insecticides and pesticides has been found significant for the semi-hilly region, demanding boost in the expenditure on insecticides and pesticides to increase wheat production in this region. The coefficient of fertilizer nutrients has been observed positive and significant for the semi-hilly and south-western regions, indicating that there is scope for increasing production of wheat by enhancing the use of fertilizers in these regions. Further, the technical efficiencies are positively and significantly related to age, education and experience of a farmer and percentage area under the crop.Agricultural and Food Policy,